Apple launched the first iPad back in April, 2010. Since then, iPad has become the most popular tablet around the globe. This popularity has taken a toll on the global Windows PC shipments which have declined sharply as iPad rose to fame. A chart below illustrates this change.
The rise of smartphones and tablets has cast an adverse effect on the PC industry. With millions of iPhones and iPads flying right off the shelves, fewer and fewer users feel the need to purchase new PCs. This, in turn, has plummeted the worldwide quarterly PC shipments.
For instance, during the third quarter this year, global PC shipments declined by another 8.6%. It is important to note here that this is the sixth straight quarterly decline in the volume of PC shipments. In other words, the shipments are on a nosedive and no pause seems anywhere in sight.
The chart from Horace Dediu at Asymco, posted above, shows how the launch of the iPad line-up has affected global PC shipments. Although iPad is a tablet, it has come to replace the need for a full-sized PC. The chart shows that as soon as iPad was launched back in 2010, the quarterly PC shipments plummeted and the growth rate of the PC industry began to decline.
With time, this trend has continued so much so that the growth rate of the PC industry has gone into the negative. In other words, each subsequent quarter now witnesses fewer PCs sold. Apple’s iPad has clearly been a catalyst in making this change happen.
Source: Horace Dediu
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