In the first quarter of 2016, global computer sales slumped another 12.5 % compared to last year’s first quarter – the fourth quarter in a row that sales dropped more than 10 %.
Bigger drop than expected
The drop is even larger than the IDC forecast, predicting a 11.3 % slump. Because of the published numbers, IDC has adjusted its full-year forecast to a 7.3 % overall drop, which is worse than its primary forecast. That stood at a “mere” 5.4 % drop for 2016.
“This type of prolonged slump is unprecedented, and lowers the bar for some improvement going forward,” said Loren Loverde, vice president of world-wide tracker forecasting and PC research at IDC. “Unfortunately, the PC market still faces some persistent challenges, and for now, improvement continues to mean slower declines.”
IDC expects desktop computer sales to drop 8.7 % in 2016, while laptop sales will drop 6.3 %. Even though mobile devices, like tablets and smartphones, have not grown their sales numbers as much as they had previously done, computer sales have not benefited from that slower sales growth at all. The free upgrade to Windows 10 has also blocked new computer sales.
