US PC SALES DOWN, TABLET SALES UP

The last time we got an IDC report on US PC sales it showed generally rosy figures, with everyone other than Dell growing and Apple making a huge jump. This time we have numbers from both IDC and Gartner, and while they don't agree on everything, it's clear things are rather less positive. Overall growth in this quarter is negative (6.6 percent decline for Gartner, 4.8 for IDC) and Apple is now in position number five, dropping from number three, with the other top four comprised of HP, Dell, Toshiba, and Acer -- though Toshiba and Acer swap places as you move from IDC to Gartner. Both reports cite tablet sales (i.e. the iPad) as being at least partly responsible for the decline in traditional computer sales, a trend that's predicted to continue in 2011.

TABLETS AFFECTING PC SALES SAYS GARTNER

Gartner’s worldwide PC shipment estimates have been downgraded and it seems that tablets are to blame. The research firm had originally estimated 18.1% growth in 2011 PC shipments compared to 2010. Gartner’s latest estimates have dropped the 2011 forecast to annual growth of just 15.9%.

So what kind of hit can PC’s expect to take as a result of tablets? Gartner believes that media tablets will displace around 10% of PC units by 2014. Apparently tablets aren’t the only thing that PC manufacturers should be worried about either. Raphael Vasquez, a research analyst at Gartner, says:

PC market growth will be impacted by devices that enable better on-the-go content consumption such as media tablets and next-generation smartphones.

That means that smartphones and tablets are giving PC shipments a one-two punch stunting their growth.

Gartner went on to point out four additional dynamics which are currently challenging the PC industry. This includes the fact that emerging markets are driving growth gaining more than 50% of the total worldwide PC market by the end of 2011. That growth may dry up due to the looming shadow of consumers who could bypass the traditional path to their first PC in favor of an alternative device.

Additional factors include cash-strapped consumers putting off PCs in favor of media tablets and extending average PC lifecycles. Hosted virtual desktops are also applying pressure to PC shipments as businesses and consumers look for ways to cut hardware costs by accessing desktop resources using thin clients or refurbished PCs. [Geek]

APPLE BREAKS 10% OF US MARKET

Apple continues go gain ground in the latest PC market share report by Gartner and IDC.  Apple's 3Q 2010 standings were at 10.5%, this is a 1.5% increase over 3Q 2009.  HP took the number one spot from Dell, both sliding a bit from their 3Q 2009 numbers.

Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa attributed the drop for Dell and Acer to a softening consumer market. "The third quarter historically is a strong consumer quarter, led by back-to-school sales," Kitagawa said in a statement. "Consumer mobile PC demand, driven by low-priced notebooks, including mini-notebooks, slowed after very strong growth the past two years." [Ars Technica]

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