Dropoff in PC Sales Is Accelerating and Tablets Are the Culprit, Says IDC

Market researcher IDC said Tuesday that global PC sales will fall 7.8 percent in 2013, charting a decline far worse than the 1.3 percent decrease it projected earlier this year.

Why the precipitous drop? A massive surge in tablet shipments, driven by consumers who are increasingly delaying PC purchases or forgoing them in favor of iPads, Nexus 7 and 10s, Kindle Fires and the like.

IDC figures that tablet shipments will spike 59 percent this year to 229.3 million units — up from 144.5 million units last year. And it predicts that, by 2015, global tablet shipments will outpace the entire PC market. There’s a massive shift in consumer behavior, one that IDC says is likely to keep the PC market in contraction through 2014.

“Many users are realizing that everyday computing, such as accessing the Web, connecting to social media, sending emails, as well as using a variety of apps, doesn’t require a lot of computing power or local storage,” said IDC analyst Loren Loverde. “Instead, they are putting a premium on access from a variety of smaller devices with longer battery life, an instant-on function, and intuitive touch-centric interfaces.”