Despite some glimmers of recovery, the personal computer industry is still struggling with declining sales, according to two market reports issued Monday that show global PC shipments fell in 2014 for the third year in a row.
Research firm Gartner estimated shipments actually increased 1 percent in the fourth quarter. Using different methods, International Data Corp. calculated that shipments fell 2.4 percent in the quarter.
Sales improved for several of the world’s biggest computer makers, including Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard and Dell. Apple also increased overall sales.
IDC estimates that computer makers shipped more than 308.6 million PCs last year, or about 2.1 percent less than the previous year. Gartner said PC makers shipped 315.9 million units in 2014 or just 0.2 percent less than the previous year.
