Global personal computer shipments fell in the first three months of 2014, the eighth straight quarter of decline, although the industry got a boost from companies replacing aging computers, according to two market research firms on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Hurt by consumers’ continuing shift toward tablets and smartphones, PC shipments in the March quarter were down 4.4 percent compared with the same quarter in 2013, IDC said in a news release. IDC had previously expected a 5.3 percent dip for the quarter.<\/p>\n
Gartner, a rival market research company, said in a news release that PC shipments in the March quarter fell 1.7 percent.<\/p>\n
IDC and Gartner both said shipments in the first quarter got a bump as companies replaced their older PCs ahead of the end of the Windows XP operating system, which Microsoft stopped supporting on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
“The transition to more mobile devices and usage modes is unlikely to stop, although the short-term impact on PC shipments may slow as tablet penetration rises,” IDC said. “There is potential for PC shipments to stabilize, but not much opportunity for growth.”<\/p>\n
Gartner said total PC shipments in the first quarter were 76.6 million, while IDC said 73.4 million PC were shipped.<\/p>\n
Intel, central to the PC industry, is due to post its first-quarter results on Tuesday. Analysts on average expect the chipmaker’s revenue to have grown about 2 percent, according to Thomson Reuters I\/B\/E\/S.<\/p>\n
More trouble for the PC market<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n PC market doing better than expected<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n