Again, the PC is not dead…

A few days ago, the research firm IDC put out a forecast that 2013 would mark the second year of declining PC sales.  This dismal news came on the heels of a really bad first quarter overall down tick for the PC industry as a whole.  Consequently, the Net is all abuzz, again, with doomsday prognostications for the PC.

Even though the news is bad for the PC industry – it is not the end of it.  And those who are forecasting the end of the PC industry are wrong.  Which, there are some simple answers to why these prognostications are wrong.  First, the most obvious reason is that the tablet, the supposed successor to the PC, still cannot do what a PC can do horsepower wise.  Even tablets like the Windows Surface Pro are bested by a decent PC when it comes to horsepower.  Second, tablets do not offer the flexibility that PCs do.  For instance, most tablets come with a fixed memory size and limited storage options. PCs on the other hand offer better options both in terms of memory and storage.  Third, the PC runs circles around a tablet when it comes to display options – hands down.

But perhaps the most obvious reason why the PC industry is not dying is that the IDC forecast is based upon flawed data.  Indeed, PC sales are trailing off and conversely tablet sales are increasing, however the study that resulted in the IDC forecast did not take into account certain factors.  For instance, the IDC study did not go into detail as to why PC sales are down.  Which, some of those factors are the current economy, consumer dislike in terms of Windows 8 and consumers having to replace cheap tablets.  Starting with the economy, most consumers either don’t have the money to purchase new systems or don’t see the need to upgrade what they currently own.  Just like with the auto industry, consumers are hanging on to older PCs much longer because they still get the job done.  Moving on to Windows 8, Microsoft did a lot of harm to the PC industry when it created this OS. This is because consumers generally hate Windows 8 and are voting with their pocketbooks by not buying PCs with the loathsome OS.  Finally, the study did not cover the amount of cheap, off brand tablets which consumers had to replace due to premature failures, etc.  I could go on and on – but again, if one was to drill down and look at the underlying trends in the study – a completely different outlook would have been found.

In short, although sales are way down, the PC industry is not on it’s death bed.  Until a tablet can fully replace a PC in form and function – there will always be a need for the PC.  As well tablets are years away from replacing PCs – a fact which is hard to ignore.  And a fact that all the naysayers should take into consideration while rethinking their prognostications about the PC.

News source: WIRED.COM.