Taipei, May 30 (CNA) International Data Corp. (IDC), a global market information advisory firm, has downgraded its forecast for world personal computer shipment growth, citing fierce competition from tablets and smartphones.
Meanwhile, IDC has also predicted that global tablet shipments will top notebook shipments in 2013 and surpass the entire PC shipments (notebooks and desktops combined), in 2015.
In a research report posted on its website Wednesday, IDC said that due to a shift in PC buying trends, with more and more consumers considering alternatives such as tablets and smartphones, the world's PC shipments are expected to fall 7.8 percent, a downward revision from an earlier estimate of a 1.3 percent decline.
IDC said worldwide PC shipments are expected to fall to about 321.9 million units in 2013 from 349.2 million recorded in 2012, while desktop PC shipments are likely to fall to 134.4 million units this year from 148.3 million, and notebook shipments are forecast to total 187.4 million units, down from 200.9 million.
"Many users are realizing that everyday computing, such as accessing the Web, connecting to social media and sending emails, as well as using a variety of apps, doesn't require a lot of computing power or local storage," IDC analyst Loren Loverde said.
"Instead, they are putting a premium on access from a variety of smaller devices with longer battery life, an instant-on function and intuitive touch-centric interfaces," Loverde said, referring to tablets and smartphones.
In the mature markets, PC shipments for 2013 are expected to fall to 128.4 million units from 2012's 143.9 million, while shipments in the emerging markets are likely to fall to 193.5 million units from 205.3 million recorded a year earlier.
For 2014, IDC said it expects some replacements to occur, in particular in the commercial segment, which has so far remained conservative in terms of replacements, focusing on individual systems instead of large upgrade initiatives.
The market advisory information firm said global PC shipments for 2014 are expected to continue to fall, down 1.2 percent from 2013.
On the back of rising popularity in the market, IDC said, tablet shipments for 2013 are expected to grow 58.7 percent from a year earlier to hit 229.3 million units. The 2013 forecast shows tablet shipments expected to surpass notebook shipments.
In 2015, tablet shipments are likely to reach 332 million units, surpassing shipments of the entire PC market at 323 million units expected for the year, IDC said.
(By Frances Huang)
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Meanwhile, IDC has also predicted that global tablet shipments will top notebook shipments in 2013 and surpass the entire PC shipments (notebooks and desktops combined), in 2015.
In a research report posted on its website Wednesday, IDC said that due to a shift in PC buying trends, with more and more consumers considering alternatives such as tablets and smartphones, the world's PC shipments are expected to fall 7.8 percent, a downward revision from an earlier estimate of a 1.3 percent decline.
IDC said worldwide PC shipments are expected to fall to about 321.9 million units in 2013 from 349.2 million recorded in 2012, while desktop PC shipments are likely to fall to 134.4 million units this year from 148.3 million, and notebook shipments are forecast to total 187.4 million units, down from 200.9 million.
"Many users are realizing that everyday computing, such as accessing the Web, connecting to social media and sending emails, as well as using a variety of apps, doesn't require a lot of computing power or local storage," IDC analyst Loren Loverde said.
"Instead, they are putting a premium on access from a variety of smaller devices with longer battery life, an instant-on function and intuitive touch-centric interfaces," Loverde said, referring to tablets and smartphones.
In the mature markets, PC shipments for 2013 are expected to fall to 128.4 million units from 2012's 143.9 million, while shipments in the emerging markets are likely to fall to 193.5 million units from 205.3 million recorded a year earlier.
For 2014, IDC said it expects some replacements to occur, in particular in the commercial segment, which has so far remained conservative in terms of replacements, focusing on individual systems instead of large upgrade initiatives.
The market advisory information firm said global PC shipments for 2014 are expected to continue to fall, down 1.2 percent from 2013.
On the back of rising popularity in the market, IDC said, tablet shipments for 2013 are expected to grow 58.7 percent from a year earlier to hit 229.3 million units. The 2013 forecast shows tablet shipments expected to surpass notebook shipments.
In 2015, tablet shipments are likely to reach 332 million units, surpassing shipments of the entire PC market at 323 million units expected for the year, IDC said.
(By Frances Huang)
ENDITEM/J