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PC shipments are continuting to fall while tablet shipments continue to gain momentum. That's the conclusion of recent numbers from market research organization International Data Corporation (IDC). The new numbers just build on a trend that's played out quarter after quarter recently. So IT service providers who are ignoring mobile device management (MDM) and bring your own device (BYOD) may find themselves in vulnerable positions in years to come. Here are the details.
According to IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, worldwide PC shipments are expected to fall by 7.8 percent. IDC reported that tablet shipments will outpace the entire PC market (portables and desktops combined) by 2015. More users are leveraging alternatives, including tablets and smartphones, for their computing needs
IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Trackers Program VP Loren Loverde said in a prepared statement that the consumer market is evolving through user experience
"Many users are realizing that everyday computing, such as accessing the Web, connecting to social media, sending emails, as well as using a variety of apps, doesn't require a lot of computing power or local storage," he said.
IT research and advisory company Gartner (NYSE: IT) predicted in April that the decline in PC shipments is not temporary, and their forecast seems to be on point.
BYOD has been labeled as a culprit
Besides consumers making the switch to computing alternatives, BYOD has also been tapped as a major reason for the decline.
"In addition, the BYOD phenomenon has moved from smartphones to tablets and PCs with nearly 25 percent of employees in organizations larger than 10 people claiming to have purchased the primary PC they use for work," said IDC Clients and Displays Program VP Bob O'Donnell in a prepared statement.
He added that because of this BYOD growth, many expected PC purchases by corporations will no longer happen.
Portable PCs join in on the decline
Tablet shipments are expected to grow 58.7 percent year-over-year in 2013, climbing to 229.3 million units, while also exceeding portable PCs shipments.
IDC Mobility Trackers Program Manager Ryan Reith said in his prepared remarks, "Tablets surpassing portables in 2013, and total PCs in 2015, marks a significant change in consumer attitudes about compute devices and the applications and ecosystems that power them."
IDC blamed a sharp decline of PC shipments in the first quarter of 2013 on a consumer and business rejection of Microsoft (MSFT) Windows 8, the software giant's most recent operating system update and the first one designed to unify the world of PCs, tablets and phones.
