PC sales slow as people choose tablets

Worldwide sales of personal computers have slowed as people choose smartphones or tablet computers instead, new research shows.

Gartner research on Wednesday reported that PC sales slowed in the September quarter. The number of personal computers shipped in that period was 91.8 million — an 3.2 increase from the same period in 2010.

"The consumer PC market continues to be weak," said Gartner principal analyst, Mikako Kitagawa.

"The popularity of non-PC devices, including media tablets such as the iPad and smartphones, took consumers' spending away from PCs," he added.

Hewlett Packard (HP) continued to be the top computer maker but China-based Lenovo was gaining ground and saw sales soar 25.2 per cent to take the second-place spot from Dell, according to Gartner.

HP sales grew strongly in the United States despite talk that the US firm is considering a spin off of its personal computer business, the industry tracker reported.

Tablets and smartphones are expected to continue eroding PC sales, especially in the United States.

"The main contributor to the weak consumer PC market in the US was intensified competition for consumers' money," Kitagawa said.

"Media tablets and smartphones took centre stage in the US retail sector, and the expectation is for continuing demand for these devices throughout the holiday season," she continued.

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