14 DAY TRIAL // Since the third quarter is coming at an end, analysts will, inevitably, speak out on what the future might hold, and Gartner did something of this sort for the PC segment, where tablets, apparently, are mercilessly turning things upside down.
The picture that Gartner paints for the personal computer industry is a fairly mixed one.
More specifically, the year 2011 is expected to exhibit a slowdown in terms of total shipment growth, much like the following year (2012), though not in the same measure.
This does not mean that the sales levels of 2011 will be in any way lower than those of 2010, however, merely not as big as they had been expected previously.
Gartner says 2012 sales levels will be 3.8 percent higher on-year (364 million), instead of 9.3% higher.
Likewise, the 2012 projection was reduced, though not by as much (from 12.8 % to 10.9 %).
Then again, we already covered this issue, a couple of days ago in fact (the article can be found here).
The reason we picked up this topic again is the fact that Gartner appears to think tablets really have been greatly reshaping the PC market, whether those involved like it or not.
The analyst firm even touches on HP's recent business decisions, saying that the spin-off highlights the pressure that PC vendors are now under.
"Media tablets have dramatically changed the dynamic of the PC market and HP's decision to rethink its PC strategy simply highlights the pressure that PC vendors are under to adapt to the new dynamic or abandon the market," said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner.
"Vendors' tried and true business models are failing as traditional PC functionality is extended to other devices, and users continue to lengthen PC lifetimes. Vendors only seem to be flailing as they look for quick fixes to their problems. Unfortunately, the resulting chaos is just creating more confusion across the entire PC supply chain, impacting sell-in."