Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Gartner says the ‘traditional’ PC market will continue to shrink through 2015

By Mike Epstein March 27, 2014

Acer Aspire R7 tablet 1

According to market research firm Gartner, the overall global market for consumer electronics is expected to grow 6.9 percent in 2014. However, the PC market hasn’t exactly been invited to that party, but that shouldn’t come as any surprise.

The traditional PC market is expected to continue shrinking Gartner says, with annual shipments falling from 296.1 million units in 2013, to 276.7 million this year. That number is expected to fall further in 2015 as well, down to 263 million.

Related Videos

“The traditional PC category continues to decrease, with only about two-thirds of notebook and desktop replacements remaining within this category. The majority of the remaining one-third will move to ultramobiles, while others will not be replaced at all,” said Ranjit Atwal, Gartner’s research director.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone will be trading in PCs for tablets in the coming years. Gartner says that an increased demand for “ultramobiles,” (which it identifies as tablets, hybrid and clamshell devices) combined with a slowing in the number of instances where notebooks are replaced with tablets will tell a tale that’s currently being written.

“Tablet substitution of notebooks will start to dissipate from this year onwards as consumers and businesses align the right device with the right usage pattern,” said Atwal. “As they do this, we will see where dedicated devices (such as tablets), or hybrid devices (detachable or convertible devices), fit in the overall portfolio of devices.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Business

Computing

Apple Magic Mouse, Keyboard and Trackpad are discounted

Presentation window in Keynote on an iMac.

If you just bought a new iMac or MacBook from our list of the best Apple deals, then you're probably ready to load up on new accessories. Thankfully, this will cost you a lot less than your main purchase, thanks in part to discounts on the most important ones. Right now Amazon is cutting the price on the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad. Check them out below.
Apple Magic Mouse -- $64, was $79

The Apple Magic Mouse, as you'd expect, is one of the best mice for Mac. It features a multi-touch surface that will let you swipe and scroll as if it were a trackpad, allowing it to work with MacOS' native gestures, but it's also compatible with an iPad. The Apple Magic Mouse comes with superb build quality with aluminum for its bottom shell and glass for its top surface, and it's very quick to pair with your Apple device through Bluetooth. It's powered by an internal battery that can last for about a month before it needs recharging, which you can do so through its included USB-C to Lightning cable.

Computing

Dell just slashed the price of this all-in-one PC to $650

dell inspiron 24 all in one pc deal march 2023

Are you growing frustrated by all the cables that are cluttering up your computer setup? You can solve this problem by upgrading to the Dell Inspiron 24 All-in-One PC. It's already a steal for its original price of $880, so it's an even better purchase because Dell has slashed its price by $230 to a more affordable $650. Most desktop computer deals don't last long because of the high demand for dependable PCs, and we expect this one to be gone soon as well.

Why you should buy the Dell Inspiron 24 All-in-One PC
The best all-in-one computers have one important thing in common -- they give you everything that you need for your home office in a single package. That's the same benefit that you'll enjoy with the Dell Inspiron 24 All-in-One PC, which combines the CPU and display in one device so that you won't have to invest in monitor deals separately. The all-in-one desktop computer is equipped with the AMD Ryzen 5 5625U processor, AMD Radeon Graphics, and 12GB of RAM, which are more than enough for processes such as browsing the internet, creating reports, and watching streaming content. All of these can be done on its 23.8-inch touchscreen with Full HD resolution, which displays bright colors and sharp details. The computer also has built-in speakers, which you can also use as a Bluetooth speaker by connecting your mobile device.

Computing

Searching for a cheap laptop? Look no further than this $250 HP

HP 14 laptop with intel Celeron on desk.

If you're looking for super cheap laptop deals, HP has a great one right now. Today, you can buy an HP 14-inch laptop for $250 instead of $450 so you save $200 off the regular price. It's a basic laptop but if you simply need something to be able to browse online, write a few documents, and check email, it'll do the job. Likely to be only on sale for a brief time, here's what you need to know.

Why you should buy the HP 14t
HP is one of the best laptop brands at the moment so even at this price, you're still getting a reasonable laptop. The system offers an Intel Celeron processor along with 8GB of memory and 128GB of SSD storage. The processor is far from speedy but it's reassuring to see 8GB of memory when some systems at this price still stick to the painfully low 4GB. The 14-inch display is a standard HD one but you get micro-edge bezels so it takes up less room than you'd expect plus it offers HP's BrightView technology for a brighter picture. Other useful additions include an HP True Vision 720p HD webcam along with an SD media card reader.