Worst quarter for PC market since records began

IDC partly blames Windows 8 for the poor figures, claiming the radical interface change is pushing buyers towards tablets

This year's first quarter saw the steepest decline in PC shipments since records began, according to IDC, which partly blames Windows 8 for slowing the market.

According to the analyst's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, PC shipments totalled 76.3 million units in Q1, down 13.9 per cent annually, way more than the 7.7 per cent drop IDC previously forecasted.

The figures mark the worst quarter since the firm began tracking the market 19 years ago.

EMEA performed worse than anticipated too, posting a sharper Q1 double-digit decline than expected, with the region's commercial market remaining constrained following a lack of major IT renewals.

IDC's vice president for clients and displays Bob O'Donnell said Windows 8 has not only failed to reinvigorate the ailing market, but has in fact slowed it down.

He said: "While some consumers appreciate the new form factors and touch capabilities of Windows 8, the radical changes to the UI [user interface], removal of the familiar Start button, and the costs associated with touch have made PCs a less-attractive alternative to dedicated tablets and other competitive devices.

"Microsoft will have to make some very tough decisions moving forward if it wants to help reinvigorate the PC market."

Despite remaining at the top of the podium, HP's global shipments declined by nearly a quarter (23.7 per cent), allowing number-two outfit Lenovo to close the gap in market share to just 0.4 per cent.

IDC claimed that Lenovo's "attack strategy" was working as it outpaced the market, while it blamed an aggressive fourth quarter for HP's Q1 drop in shipments.

Dell's shipments for Q1 dropped 10.9 per cent annually, while Acer and Asus suffered declines of 31.3 per cent and 19.2 per cent respectively over the same quarter.

Alex Tatham, sales and marketing director at Westcoast, said the distributor's PC business has grown year on year, and that XP's end of support could lead to a surge in Windows 8's popularity, despite it "not being taken up in the way Microsoft would have liked" so far.

Softcat chairman Martin Hellawell said he expects the new operating system's popularity to grow in time.

"I was surprised at how bad [the figures] are, and they clearly are very bad. Our PC sales have not been fantastic [this quarter] but there has still been growth," he said, adding that his firm has had a good quarter for sales across all its vendors, which include HP, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba and Lenovo.

Gartner released a less pessimistic set of PC market results today too, which claimed that Q1 was merely the worst period since 2009. It said worldwide shipments reached 79.2m units in the first quarter, an 11.2 per cent drop annually.