Global PC Industry Continues Downward Trend

The global PC industry did not finish 2013 on a positive note. PC shipments declined 6.9 percent in the holiday quarter, ending a horrible year for the industry. As developed markets show strong signs of saturation and consumers in developing countries prefer lower cost alternatives such as tablets or smartphones PC sales suffered the biggest year-over-year decline (-10%) since Gartner started tracking the PC industry in the late 1980s. In the past 12 months, 316 million PCs were shipped globally, signifiyng the lowest level since 2009. Gartner belives that the industry has bottomed out and expects no further decline in 2014. Given the lack of innovation in the PC industry and the increasing competitiveness of tablets in terms of performance, we wouldn't bet on the PC industry though.