Portable PC market looking flat over the next 5 years

IDC recently released a report that detailed its predictions for the connected devices market - including smartphones, tablets and PCs of all types. Overall, the market for smartphones looks quite positive, with an average of 8.5 percent annual growth between 2014 and 2019, reaching unit shipments of around 1.96 million units in 2019. The market for laptops, on the other hand, is not as bad as many think it would be. While the market is expected to contract slightly over the time frame - dropping an average of 0.4 percent per year - it is much better than recent history suggests. In 2014, for example, notebook computers shipped 2.3 percent fewer units than in 2013. In addition, while the overall number of units is expected to drop, the decrease will be only about 4 million units, to 170 million units shipped in 2019, according to the forecast.

Why the qualified optimism? In part, despite many efforts to break into the enterprise market, tablets have not gained widespread traction there. While Apple and Microsoft have tried to enter the market, so far, the laptop remains the interface of choice for business. In addition, IDC expects that the laptop PC market will strengthen particularly in developed markets, in part because of the business segment but also because of new initiatives, such as Microsoft's Windows 10.

Nevertheless, market watchers and sellers should carefully watch 2-in-1 tablet/laptop hybrids, which have been increasingly marketed towards small and large businesses alike. Additionally, the Windows 10 initiative, which is so important for business users, will also be available in the full form on Microsoft Surface tablets in the very near future.

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