Global PC sales are expected to shrink to 300 million units this year, a decline of 4.5 percent from 2014, market research firm Gartner said in a report this week.
And the release of Windows 10 at the end of July will actually cause a slowing in professional demand for laptops and ultramobiles this year as people hang on to their devices longer, the market research firm said.
We do not expect the global PC market to recover until 2016, said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner.
The slumping PC market already has forced chip makers Intel and AMD to trim their revenue forecasts this year.
However, Windows 10 could boost replacements next year, Atwal said.
Global shipments of PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones are expected to reach 2.5 billion units in 2015, according to the report. That is a 1.5 percent increase from 2014, but lower than Gartner s previous forecast of 2.8 percent growth.
But consumer spending on all devices will total $606 billion in 2015, worldwide combined shipments of devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) are expected to reach 2.5 billion units in 2015, a 1.5 percent increase from 2014 and down from the previous quarter s forecast of 2.8 percent growth,
A slowdown in Western Europe, Russia and Japan combined with price increases caused by the strong dollar were mostly to blame, Atwal said.
The currency impact was greater than the end of migration from Windows XP, which Microsoft is no longer supporting.
Mobile is a bright spot, the only segment that continues to show growth. Emerging markets are driving the growth, with China leading the way, the report said.
But mobile phone growth is expected to slow to 3.3 percent a year in 2015, Gartner said.
The global market has been affected by a weaker performance in China. We have witnessed fewer and fewer first-time buyers in China, a sign that the mobile phone market in there is reaching saturation. said Annette Zimmermann, a Gartner research director.
Photo: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talks Windows 10 at the company s headquarters Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2015, in Redmond, Wash. (Elaine Thompson/Associated Press)
