That the PC market is in decline is no secret. But separate reports released this week by Gartner, IDC, and IHS iSuppli assert that the downward trend is even more pronounced than originally anticipated. IHS iSuppli said 2012 will be the industry’s first year-over-year drop in units shipped since the dot-com bust took its toll 11 years ago.

The contraction was caused by a variety of factors, ranging from the growing popularity of smartphones and tablets to economic concerns to the fact that many enterprises are midway through refresh cycles.

Still, the faltering numbers might not endure, with Windows 8 set to launch on October 26, there’s still hope for a late Q4 turnaround.
Network Computing