Consumer PC analysts at Gartner have trimmed their estimates for worldwide PC shipments to just 9.3% growth, down from prior projections of 10.5% growth. The key to the decrease? More people are buying iPhones and Tablets.
Our source quotes Ranjit Atwal, a research director at Gartner:
Consumer mobile PCs are no longer driving growth, because of sharply declining consumer interest in mini-notebooks…this has substantially reduced overall PC unit growth.” The iPad reportedly has also hurt mobile PC sales “because they caused consumers to delay new mobile PC purchases.”
In Gartner’s view, PC’s are transitioning from a “one sie fits all” type of platform, to a more personalized and specialized device that’s designed to complement other devices that the consumer owns. This notion of PC’s being pushed back into more of a “supporting role” to the gadgets you already have fits in nicely with the “Post-PC” ideas presented by Steve Jobs – that the computer is really just another device, and not the center of consumers’ digital lives.
Although consumer PC’s seem to be in trouble (at least according to Atwal), Atwal also notes that business customers are responsible for keeping the PC afloat, with many business being “stuck” with aging PC’s because of lack of budget or poor upgrade management.
What are your thoughts? Do the ipad and the iPhone make you less likely to buy another full-fledged PC? Let us know!
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