Sales of personal computers have a record drop

Sales of personal computers had reduced 13.9% in the first three months of 2013, the biggest drop in nearly 20 years. Experts attribute this to the negative reception to the new Windows on the market and to the advancement of tablets and smartphones.
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Sales of PCs had, in the first quarter of this year, a reduction of 13.9% over the same period last year, the biggest fall since, in 1994, the research firm International Data Corp (IDC) began to measure the volume of transactions. The retraction was two times higher than expected. In total, between January and March of 2013 76.3 million computers were sold, marking the fourth consecutive quarter of falls compared to the previous year.
Another consulting firm, Gartner Inc., noted a drop of 11%. The difference between the numbers of the two companies is due to different personal computer settings adopted by them. Both base their data from plant outputs remittances that are equivalent to the volume of retail sales.
Smartphones and tables are threatening PCs
IDC notes that the preference for smartphones and tablets continue to redirect the consumer spending. In addition, PC makers have not included on new advances as touchscreens or ultrafine. "The PC industry is struggling to identify possible innovations that differentiate their products and attract the interest of consumers," says IDC.
But manufacturers are still resistant to major changes, believed to be expensive or complicated. The placing on the market of Windows 8, last October, IDC is seen as more harmful than beneficial. The company Vice President, Bob O'Donnell, analyzes that consumers have struggled to adapt to the changes made by Microsoft in Windows 8, like the software that run on the most popular smartphones and tablets. With this new operating system, consumers PC explains need to undergo a relearning process for which many of them, whether companies or individuals, were unprepared.
Market slowdown
"It is possible to realize the influence of Windows 8 not only at the fall of sales of PCs, but also on the slowdown in the market. Microsoft will have to take drastic decisions if you want to reinvigorate the market for PCs, "says O'Donnell.
IDC's data confirm that the marked leader remains the Hewlett-Packard, with 12 million PCs sold. The number is, however, 24% lower compared to the previous year. In second place is the Chinese group Lenovo, the only one of the top five global brands of PCs to have stability in sales.
David Daoud, an analyst at IDC, says the decline in the number of consignments did not come to be a surprise, but the accent of the fall.