IDC on Thursday forecast “tumultuous times” for PC and tablet markets with declines for both this year and next because of inflation, a weakening economy and downward adjustments following a surge in purchases over the past two years.
The IDC concern follows similar findings from other analysts. IDC said traditional PCs (desktops, laptops and workstations) are forecast to drop nearly 13% in 2022, with tablets down nearly 7%.
Further contraction is expected in 2023 with consumer demand slowed and with enterprises holding off spending due to worsening macroeconomic conditions. Both tablets and PCs are forecast to decline 2.6% in 2023 before growing again in 2024.
“With economic headwinds gaining speed, we expect worsening consumer sentiment to result in further consumer market contractions over the next six quarters,” said Linn Huang, IDC research vice president for devices and displays.
Even with slower demand, the outlook is above pre-pandemic levels, said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC in mobility and consumer device tracking. “Economic recovery in time for the next major refresh cycle could propel some growth in the outer years of our [five year] forecast,” he said.
Traditional PCs shipments are expected to reach 305.3 million in 2022 while tablets will reach 156.8 million for a total of 462 million. By 2026, IDC has forecast an increase in both categories to 477.7 million units, an improvement of 3.4%
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