IDC 'Cautious' On PC Outlook Despite Q3 Gains

According to IDC, worldwide PC shipments are expected to fall by 2.7 percent for the entire 2014, marking an improvement from the 3.7 percent decline seen in 2013.

IDC's forecast comes at a time when IDC notes that PC shipments were only 0.5 percent lower than a year ago in the third quarter.

IDC notes that mature regions continue to grow in the third quarter, while emerging regions lag behind due to slower economics and commercial replacements. Western Europe and Japan performed better than expected.

However, the short-term strength seen in the third quarter, especially in mature markets is unlikely to duplicate in 2015. IDC is projecting PC shipments to decline again in 2015.

"In the best case for PCs, we'd see a significant wave of replacements as users who spent on phones and tablets in recent years decide they really need to update their PC," Loren Loverde, Vice President, Worldwide PC Trackers said in a press release. "However, we've seen steady progress on prices and new designs over the past year, and replacements are stabilizing PC shipments but not boosting total volume."

Loverde also noted that as the younger generation of consumers (particularly in emerging markets) become more mobile- and Web-oriented, the PC market will continue to face tough competition.