The market for personal computers appears to be stabilizing but still suffering from a drop-off in consumer demand, according to reports from two major analysis firms. International Data Corp. and Gartner differed on whether overall PC shipments declined or increased year-over-year, but the move was not large in either report, a change from severe declines in the past few years. IDC reported that PC shipments gained 0.6% from the first quarter of 2016, the first year-over-year increase the company has tracked since 2012. Gartner — which, unlike IDC, does not count Chromebooks in its PC studies — reported a 2.4% decline. The two reports also differed on the top PC company: Gartner reported that Lenovo Group Ltd. narrowly maintained its lead, while IDC proclaimed that HP Inc. took back the top spot for the first time since losing it to Lenovo in 2013. Gartner did say that HP had the best gains among the PC giants, increasing sales 6.5% to top Apple Inc.’s 4.5% increase. The two reports agreed that businesses are keeping the PC industry alive as consumers continue to put off PC purchases, and don’t expect that to change much. “Winners in the business segment will ultimately be the survivors in this shrinking market,” Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, said. “Vendors who do not have a strong presence in the business market will encounter major problems, and they will be forced to exit the PC market in the next five years.” Kitagawa noted that Lenovo, HP and Dell appear to be poised well, while Apple can rely on specific verticals for survival.
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