Thin client market shrinks in 2015

IDC claims things will pick up "beyond 2016"

The thin client market is on track to shrink in 2015, according to IDC, which says a return to growth could be years away.

IDC claims that in Q3, the market slumped 6.7 per cent annually thanks to economic and currency pressures in key parts of the market.

As a result, for the whole of 2015, the analyst expects that just 5.1 million units will be shipped, down six per cent on 2014.

"Combined with some persistent factors that negatively affected the market, including budget constraints that delayed major shipments in Asia/Pacific, the emerging markets continued to lag behind mature markets in terms of shipments and projected growth rates going forward," IDC said.

"Furthermore, although the market is increasingly accepting of virtualised client computing, devices such as repurposed PCs and even Chromebooks in some cases, pose viable threats to mainstream thin client purchases."

The market is on track to "return to steady growth", but not until beyond 2016, IDC added.