IDC Forecasts 3.9% 2018 Unit Decline in PC Devices, But 'YouTube' Generation, Gaming Drive Some Demand

Unit shipments globally of personal computing devices, including “traditional” PCs, tablets and workstations, are expected to decline 3.9 percent this year, though the market is expected to grow 3.6 percent in dollar volume, reported IDC Thursday. The unit declines are expected to persist through 2022, with a five-year compound annual growth rate of negative 1.5 percent, said IDC. "Although average time spent on a PC has declined substantially in the past few years, the need for better designs and greater performance has continued to grow," it said. "The market for gaming PCs provides a much needed uplift in the short term and beyond that we still anticipate the need for performance-oriented machines that cater to designers, AR/VR related tasks, and even to creators that are part of the YouTube generation."