Gartner: Tablet Demand Already Peaked, Consumers Now Turning Back to PCs

[[Coi] Mr.CLuBBeR]

Market research firm notes quiet and steady growth in PC sector

Ever since the first iPad came out, we had to hear analysts and market research firms predict a future in which we'd all ditch our traditional PCs for slates. Once again, however, time is the ultimate judge, and now that tablets are seemingly everywhere, consumers are turning their attention back to PCs, Gartner says. As such, Gartner notes a 1 percent increase in worldwide PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2014, which translates into 83.7 million units.
That's in the ballpark of IDC's 80.8 million PC shipment figure, though IDC pegged the industry at a 2.4 percent year-on-year decline. Gartner is also decidedly more optimistic about the state of PCs compared to IDC's outlook.
"The PC market is quietly stabilizing after the installed base reduction driven by users diversifying their device portfolios. Installed base PC displacement by tablets peaked in 2013 and the first half of 2014. Now that tablets have mostly penetrated some key markets, consumer spending is slowly shifting back to PCs," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.
Both IDC and Gartner have Lenovo retaining its lead as the top PC vendor in terms of volume, though the gap is a little bit wider with the latter's figures. According to Gartner, Lenovo shipped 16.28 million PCs in the fourth quarter of 2014 en route to a 19.4 percent share of the market, up from 15.15 million PCs and an 18.3 percent share a year prior. Meanwhile, HP shipped 15.77 million PCs for an 18.8 percent share, up from 13.6 million PCs and a 16.4 percent share a year ago.
As for the holiday period, Gartner called it the best for PC sales in recent history. The market research firm credited mobile PCs, including regular notebooks, thin and light laptops, and 2-in-1 devices for the strong finish, further underscoring its belief that consumers are turning their attention back to PCs.
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