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IDC downgrades sales outlook for PCs AND tablets

Windows 10 won't give either market much of a boost

Box-counter IDC has predicted further falls in PC sales and a slowdown in tablet sales growth.

The firm says 308.1 million PCs made it out of the factory in 2014, but that just 293.1 million will do so in 2015. By 2019, it predicts that figure will fall to 291.4 million. The only PC product category IDC thinks will grow is portable PCs, and then only in emerging markets where 2014's 83.2 million will be topped by predicted sales of 83.7 million come 2019.

The analyst predicts 2015 PC sales will fall by -4.9 per cent. Its previous estimate was a -3.3 per cent dip.

In the tablet market, the firm predicts that 234.5 million tablets and phablets will make it out of factories this year, up just 4.8 million compared to 2104's total.

By 2019 that total will reach 269.4 million, but it takes a growth rate of a measly 2.1 per cent per year to get us there.

All of which leaves us with total client device sales of 537.8 million last year, a dip to 527.6million in 2015 and small growth to 560.8 million by 2019.

Little wonder Intel took a bath today, largely due to poor PC sales.

Microsoft's heading for trouble too, as IDC sees the arrival of Windows 10 as delivering only modest sales upticks.

Meanwhile in the storage and server markets, hyperscale operators are buying most of the kit, but branded kit-makers are winning the lion's share of revenue.

Long story short, the whole hardware industry is in flux. And even in the smartphone caper, a market expected to grow fast, the number two player Samsung is struggling to stay profitable.

We live in interesting times. ®

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