Sales of personal computers plummet as people turn to phones and tablets

With more and more people turning to either smartphones or tablets, sales of desk and laptop computers have plummeted. New figures have been released which show that 269.7 million computers were shipped last year – a 6.2 per cent decline from 2015. Experts suggest that new machines, such as tablets and hybrid laptops, have overtaken traditional PCs and laptops. While there has been growth in sales of innovative new machines such as hybrid laptops with removable tablet screens, the demand was not enough to offset a drop in sales of traditional models. Another factor was that people are putting off replacing desk or laptop computers because they use them infrequently, opting instead to go online with smartphones, according to Ms Kitagawa.