Q1 PC shipments down 7.7%

The decline in the PC market is accelerating with Q1 shipments expected to fall 7.7%, says IDC.

IDC warns that the figure could be worse if manufacturers don’t drop prices to compete with tablets.

“Our February monthly data suggests that we could see a drop touching double-digits in the first quarter and a mid single-digit decline in the second quarter,” says IDC.

Tablets, of course, are the reason. IDC reckons 191m tablets will ship this year. Smaller, cheaper tablets will drive the market.

Another  factor causing PCs to decline is a fall-off in sales in China which is over 20% of the market.