New Delhi: Worldwide PC shipments have declined by 9.6% during January-March 2016. This was the sixth consecutive quarter of PC shipment declines, the first time since 2007 that shipment volume fell below 65 million units, Gartner reported today.
"Worldwide PC shipments totalled 64.8 million units in the first quarter of 2016, a 9.6% decline from the first quarter of 2015," Gartner said.
It added that all major regions showed year-on-year shipment declines, with Latin America showing the steepest drop, where PC shipments declined 32.4%.
Gartner said these results are preliminary and final statistics will made be available soon.
"The Latin American PC market was intensely impacted by Brazil, where the problematic economy and political instability adversely affected the market," Mikako Kitagawa, Principal Analyst at Gartner said.
Kitagawa added the ongoing decline in US shipments showed that the installed base is still shrinking, a factor that played across developed economies.
Low oil prices drove economic contraction in Latin America and Russia, changing them from drivers of growth to market laggards.
Gartner said PCs are not being adopted in new households as they were in the past, especially in emerging markets.
"In these markets, smartphones are the priority. In the business segment, Gartner analysts said the Windows 10 refresh is expected to start toward the end of 2016," it said.
Lenovo maintained the number one position in worldwide PC shipments in the reported period despite a 7.2% decline in shipments.
The company experienced a shipment decline in all regions except North America, where the company's PC units increased 14.6% from the same period last year.
(With PTI inputs)
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