The PC market is still in trouble but is showing some signs of recovery in several key markets. In particular, sales grew in the United States and Western Europe in the third quarter. However, the decline continues in China, Japan and other Asian countries where more and more people with tablets and smartphones do not find it necessary to buy a PC.
This picture emerges in two separate reports published by research firms International Data Corp and Gartner Inc. IDC estimates that worldwide PC shipments in the three months ending in September totaled 78,5 million units, down 2% from the previous year. 'Last year. Gartner estimates global sales at 79,4 million pieces, down 1 percent.
This marks the ninth fall in the last ten quarters, a decline due to the popularity of mobile gadgets for office, entertainment, information and communication. However, the trend is gradually reversing now that the prices of tablet computers are becoming more affordable.
"Consumers are returning to PCs," says Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa. In the US, sales grew by 4% in the third quarter according to IDC. Gartner estimates that they have increased by almost 10% in Europe.
