Sales for PC devices keep getting worse. Figures released by analyst firm Gartner recently show that PC sales in Western Europe dropped by 12.8% during the third quarter of 2013, declining faster than expected.
Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa pinned the decline on consumers increasingly buying new tablets instead of updating older ones.
"In addition, product transitions to ‘Haswell’ and ‘Bay Trail’ processors, and preparations for the launch of Windows 8.1 and associated new products, meant that vendors were careful about managing inventory and focused on clearing out stock in the distribution channel," he said.
In August, IDC pointed to a drop in worldwide PC shipments, predicting that short-term boost at Christmas would lead tablet sales to overtake PCs, while total shipments would fall by 9.7% compared to 2012 and continue to do so until at least 2017.
The changing consumer habits are likely to be boosted by the rise of tablets, in particular low-cost Android models and new iPads towards the end of the year, together with economic woes in the west and some emerging markets.
