PC sales are up for the first time in six years

2 months ago

PC sales have increased for the first time in six years, according to two big research firms.

Smartphones have hit traditional PC sales for sometime, but numbers from both IDC and Gartner show that it is looking up again at last.

“PC shipment growth in the second quarter of 2018 was driven by demand in the business market, which was offset by declining shipments in the consumer segment,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.

“Consumers are using their smartphones for even more daily tasks, such as checking social media, calendaring, banking and shopping, which is reducing the need for a consumer PC.”

Gartner predicts that 62.1 million PCs were shipped globally in the second quarter of 2018, representing a modest 1.4% increase on the same period last year.

IDC were a little more optimistic, forecasting a growth of 2.7%.

In terms of machine makers, HP and Lenovo largely led the way with around 22% of the market share each. The pair are followed by Dell, Apple and Acer respectively.

However, PC makers shouldn’t get too excited. Gartner warned that momentum will weaken in two years when the replacement peak for Windows 10 passes.

“PC vendors should look for ways to maintain growth in the business market as the Windows 10 upgrade cycle tails off,” Kitagawa added.