The personal-computer industry is happy to turn the page on a historically awful 2013. World-wide PC shipments fell 10% last year, research firms Gartner Inc. and IDC said Thursday, the worst-ever sales slump for the industry. Both companies have been tracking personal computer sales since the 1980s.
Market analyst firm Gartner has released its latest PC industry figures, and they continue a declining trend started two years ago. Worldwide PC shipments not including tablets like the iPad or Surface RT totaled 82.6 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013, a 6.9 percent decline from the fourth quarter of 2012, according to preliminary results by Gartner. This is the seventh consecutive quarter of shipment decline.