Worldwide PC Shipment Predictions from IDC

The new IDC predictions for the worldwide PC market for 2013-2014 were released last week, and shows that the PC shipment number is set to decrease by 7.8 percent this year and 1.2 percent in 2013. The 2017 prediction is set at 333 million units. IDC noted that the changing trends in global computer use and the low Q1 2013 numbers are the reason for the predicted fall.

BYOD and consumer preference changes are other trends which have influenced the recent predictions. The IDC has discovered that 25 percent of organizations support BYOD at present, and this number is set to increase in the future. Furthermore, additional organizations are considering the acquisition of tablets, smartphones and various other portable computers, as opposed to desktop PCs, to replace aging hardware.

According to the IDC, consumer trends are also buckling to the same path; more people are depending on only tablets or smartphones for their basic computing needs, like checking emails, social media and collaboration. However, desktop PCs are still used for higher-resource work, and this includes photo editing; this type of work uses up a lesser amount of computing time overall.

The Program Vice President of Worldwide Quarterly PC Trackers at IDC, Loren Loverde, stated: “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. 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.” (CY) Link