Apple’s surprising and stunning PC victory

IDC says PC Shipments the Steepest Decline Ever in a Single Quarter. The analyst says unit sales fell 14 percent compared with a year earlier.

Gartner has the same message but with different numbers in Worldwide PC Shipments in the First Quarter of 2013 Drop to Lowest Levels Since Second Quarter of 2009. It says year on year sales declined 11 percent. It is the first time since the second quarter of 2009 that worldwide PC sales fell below 80 million.

When these numbers were released analysts and pundits were quick to blame Microsoft. IDC’s press release quotes a senior executive:

“At this point, unfortunately, it seems clear that the Windows 8 launch not only failed to provide a positive boost to the PC market, but appears to have slowed the market”

The end of the PC era?

That’s one explanation. Windows 8 has been an abject failure. But what’s clear from both reports is the demand for PCs is falling and there’s no sight of recovery. The PC era is over.

Windows 8 is Microsoft’s reaction to the end of the PC era, not the cause of it.

The real reason for the PC’s decline is soaring tablet sales. ABI research estimates tablet sales will hit 150 million in 2013.

Apple's iPad is behind some of the drop in PC sales

Apple is the leading tablet maker. Its iPad started the modern tablet market in 2010 and it still dominates sales. Last year Apple’s tablet market share was 60 percent.

Apple offers a mature and full suite of personal devices: smartphones, tablets, laptops and desktops. It supports this with all the hardware, software and services needed to make these devices be productive and fun.

The story of falling PC sales is not about Microsoft’s failure, it is about Apple’s success. It's not just the iPad, Apple's iPhone kickstarted a revolution that has seen the phone become many peoples' main computer.