IDC said global PC shipments totaled 76.3m units in the first quarter, the fourth consecutive quarter of year-on-year declines. The group said sales were down "significantly across all regions" of the world.
The research firm said tablets and smartphones "continue to divert consumer spending" and efforts by PC makers to come up with touchscreens and ultraslim systems have fallen flat.
The survey produce a result that was almost double IDC's projected 7.7% year-on-year drop despite what the firm called "some mild improvement in the economic environment and some new PC models" using the Windows 8 operating system.
"At this point, unfortunately, it seems clear that the Windows 8 launch not only failed to provide a positive boost to the PC market, but appears to have slowed the market," said IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell.
"While some consumers appreciate the new form factors and touch capabilities of Windows 8, the radical changes to the user interface, removal of the familiar 'Start' button and the costs associated with touch screen capability have made PCs a less attractive alternative to dedicated tablets and other competitive devices.
"Microsoft will have to make some very tough decisions in future if it wants to help reinvigorate the PC market," O'Donnell said.
IDC said Hewlett-Packard remained the top vendor despite a 23T year-on-year drop in first-quarter shipments.
China's Lenovo remained second in global shipments and nearly closed the gap with HP, based on IDC estimates.
Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
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