Gartner: global PC shipments drop by 10%

Global PC shipments dropped by 9.6% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2016, with the move to HD TV impacting sales in some European markets, according to Gartner.

The research firm said that worldwide PC shipments totalled 64.8 million units in Q1, marking the sixth consecutive quarter of PC shipment declines and the first time since 2007 that shipment volume fell below 65 million units.

In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, PC shipments totalled 19.5 million units in Q1, a 10% year-on-year decline.

“In Western Europe, consumer demand remained stable in Germany and the UK, while in France, the PC segment was impacted by the transition to high-definition TV,” said Gartner.

“Consumers preferred to buy new TVs or a specific box for the TV reception. In the business segment, large organisations are testing and evaluating Windows 10, and major deployment will start at the end of 2016.”

Gartner said that PCs are not being adopted in new households as they were in the past, “especially in emerging markets” where smartphones are the priority.

However, in the business segment, Gartner analysts said the Windows 10 refresh is expected to start toward the end of 2016.