The big change is happening. Latest Gartner data revises downwards the shipment volumes for PCs. Plugging the gap, the explosive growth of tablets. But have they got it right?
Research firm Gartner has lowered its PC unit forecast for 2011 and 2012, as consumers turn to tablet computers, and limitations in mobile PCs remain.
Gartner lowered its projection for worldwide shipments of PCs this year to 387.8 million units, or 10.5% growth, from an earlier projection of 15.9% growth.
Gartner expects worldwide PC shipments in 2012 to reach 440.6 million units. This is a 13.6% increase from 2011, but less than Gartner’s previous forecast of 14.8%.
The two factors that are responsible for the revision by Gartner are the rising enthusiasm for alternative devices such as tablet computers and the limitations of the mobile PC which have not been addressed over years. Power back-up is a prime handicap as today’s consumers are active on social networking sites all the time.
Consumers are also increasingly adopting a “wait and see” approach toward PCs as this many manufacturers have unvield plans of launching new tablet devices this year.
Gartner research director Ranjit Atwal said the reduction in demand for PCs are a result of a slowdown in China mobile PC market, but it also highlights a loss in consumer enthusiasm for mobile PCs.
Atwal said, “These results reflect marked reductions in expected near-term unit growth based on expectations of weaker consumer mobile PC demand, in no small part because of the near-term weakness expected in China’s mobile PC market, but also because of a general loss in consumer enthusiasm for mobile PCs.”
Gartner research director George Shiffler said, “We expect growing consumer enthusiasm for mobile-PC alternatives, such as the iPad and other media tablets, to dramatically slow home mobile-PC sales, especially in mature markets.”
Shiffler said, “We once thought that mobile PC growth would continue to be sustained by consumers buying second and third mobile PCs as personal devices.”
“However, we now believe that consumers are not only likely to forgo additional mobile PC buys but are also likely to extend the lifetimes of the mobile PCs they retain as they adopt media tablets and other mobile PC alternatives as their primary mobile device.”
www.gartner.com
