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Gartner’s worldwide PC shipment estimates have been downgraded and it seems that tablets are to blame. The research firm had originally estimated 18.1% growth in 2011 PC shipments compared to 2010. Gartner’s latest estimates have dropped the 2011 forecast to annual growth of just 15.9%.
So what kind of hit can PC’s expect to take as a result of tablets? Gartner believes that media tablets will displace around 10% of PC units by 2014. Apparently tablets aren’t the only thing that PC manufacturers should be worried about either. Raphael Vasquez, a research analyst at Gartner, says:
PC market growth will be impacted by devices that enable better on-the-go content consumption such as media tablets and next-generation smartphones.
That means that smartphones and tablets are giving PC shipments a one-two punch stunting their growth.
If that wasn’t enough to keep Michael Dell up at night, Gartner went on to point out four additional dynamics which are currently challenging the PC industry. This includes the fact that emerging markets are driving growth gaining more than 50% of the total worldwide PC market by the end of 2011. That growth may dry up due to the looming shadow of consumers who could bypass the traditional path to their first PC in favor of an alternative device.
Additional factors include cash-strapped consumers putting off PCs in favor of media tablets and extending average PC lifecycles. Hosted virtual desktops are also applying pressure to PC shipments as businesses and consumers look for ways to cut hardware costs by accessing desktop resources using thin clients or refurbished PCs.
