• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechComputers

Global PC Shipments Drop to Lowest Since 2008

By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jonathan Vanian
Jonathan Vanian
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 12, 2016, 8:21 PM ET
173805258
People using computers at deskPhotograph Gary John Norman via Getty Images

The past holiday season wasn’t enough to lift the ever-declining sales of personal computers.

Worldwide shipments of PCs declined in the fourth quarter, according to two industry reports released on Tuesday.

International Data Corporation (IDC) said that computer makers shipped 71.9 million devices in the fourth quarter, a 10.6% decrease from the previous year during the same period. Gartner, on the other hand, said that manufacturers shipped 75.7 million PCs globally in the fourth quarter, or an 8% year-over-year decline.

The fact that the holidays didn’t lift sales shows how consumer PC purchasing habits have changed, according to Gartner. And while Microsoft’s (MSFT) new Windows 10 operating system received good reviews, it wasn’t enough to spur many businesses to upgrade to new computers during the holidays.

SIGN UP: Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter about the business of technology.

IDC attributed some of the weak sales to China’s turbulent economy.

But IDC analysts remained optimistic that the PC market could eventually rebound in the later half of 2016. The report’s authors remained confident that Windows 10, and its sales pitch of improved design and better security, will eventually prompt more people to buy computers.

“Most PC users have delayed an upgrade, but can only maintain this for so long before facing security and performance issues,” Loren Loverde, vice president of IDC’s PC sales tracking program, said in a statement. “We continue to believe that a majority of these users will purchase another PC, motivated by new products and attractive pricing.”

As for individual vendors, both reports cited Lenovo as leading the fourth quarter PC market, followed by HP, Inc. and Dell. However, all three of those companies saw their worldwide shipments decrease from the previous year, with HP, Inc. taking the biggest hit. IDC said that HP, Inc.’s PC shipments shrank 10.1% whereas Gartner said the company’s shipments declined 8.1%.

WATCH: For more on computers see our Fortune video:

Apple (AAPL) was the only PC maker whose worldwide shipments increased in both reports, which said that the company’s fourth quarter shipments jumped 2.8% year over year.

About the Author
By Jonathan Vanian
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Jonathan Vanian is a former Fortune reporter. He covered business technology, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, data privacy, and other topics.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

satellite
AIData centers
Google’s plan to put data centers in the sky faces thousands of (little) problems: space junk
By Mojtaba Akhavan-TaftiDecember 3, 2025
1 hour ago
Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., during the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 25, 2024.
AIMeta
Inside Silicon Valley’s ‘soup wars’: Why Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI are hand delivering soup to poach talent
By Eva RoytburgDecember 3, 2025
2 hours ago
Greg Abbott and Sundar Pichai sit next to each other at a red table.
AITech Bubble
Bank of America predicts an ‘air pocket,’ not an AI bubble, fueled by mountains of debt piling up from the data center rush
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 3, 2025
2 hours ago
Alex Karp smiles on stage
Big TechPalantir Technologies
Alex Karp credits his dyslexia for Palantir’s $415 billion success: ‘There is no playbook a dyslexic can master… therefore we learn to think freely’
By Lily Mae LazarusDecember 3, 2025
3 hours ago
Isaacman
PoliticsNASA
Billionaire spacewalker pleads his case to lead NASA, again, in Senate hearing
By Marcia Dunn and The Associated PressDecember 3, 2025
3 hours ago
Kris Mayes
LawArizona
Arizona becomes latest state to sue Temu over claims that its stealing customer data
By Sejal Govindarao and The Associated PressDecember 3, 2025
3 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
North America
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos commit $102.5 million to organizations combating homelessness across the U.S.: ‘This is just the beginning’
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
5 days ago
placeholder alt text
North America
Anonymous $50 million donation helps cover the next 50 years of tuition for medical lab science students at University of Washington
By The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
MacKenzie Scott's $19 billion donations have turned philanthropy on its head—why her style of giving actually works
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk says he warned Trump against tariffs, which U.S. manufacturers blame for a turn to more offshoring and diminishing American factory jobs
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 2, 2025
1 day ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.