While smartphones and tablets have been on a growth streak, PCs – both laptops and desktops – have seen a noticeable decline in shipments over recent years. Even though a growing number of workers are using mobile devices for work, IT departments are still supplying and supporting PCs or laptops for most workers.

PCs

In their 2014 report, Gartner speculated that tablet sales will reach almost 321,000 next year, while PC sales are expected to hit about 316,000. PCs have been experiencing a sustained sales decline in recent years, but this year they have begun to flatten out. In Q3, worldwide PC shipments fell by 1.7%, according to an IDC report, but this is actually not as sharp a decline as the 4.1% IDC had originally predicted. The discrepancy could be explained by a number of factors. Since the recession eased its grip on the economy and tight budgets loosened, many companies have been able to take action on refresh cycles that had been placed on unusually long holds. Microsoft also discontinued support for its widely installed XP software, pushing some companies to upgrade their hardware.

Tablets

If Gartner’s projections are correct, tablets will in fact surpass PCs for the first time in history next year. While tablet sales and usage is growing at a wild-fire pace, it is not growing as quickly as some analysts once projected. It is also possible that larger smartphones will begin to eat into tablet sales as “phablets” like the iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung Galaxy Note 4, among several other popular models, gain popularity and acceptance among users.

Conclusions

The bottom line is that, despite the hype about tablets and mobile computing, the desktop PC and laptop still remain very much alive. In fact, most people have a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet in addition to their PC, not instead of their PC. Though analysts still do forecast a drop in new PC shipments in the next few years, but demand for PCs will certainly exist for years to come.

Though this may only be a temporary break in the protracted decline of PC sales, the good news is that there is still a thriving market for quality refurbished PCs and laptops. If you are considering a refresh of equipment, getting a good ITAD vendor who can maximize your return while ensuring data security is a wise choice. Call Lifespan at (888) 720-0900 to speak with an ITAD expert about coming trends in PC resale, and how you can maximize the return on your assets.