Things that will breathe new life into a sluggish PC market in 2017

Global PC shipments has seen a steady decline of eighth consecutive quarters in Q3, 2016. According to Mikako Kitagawa, Principal Analyst at Gartner , the two fundamental issues that have impacted PC market are mainly the extension of the lifetime of the PC caused by the excess of consumer devices, and the weak PC consumer demand in emerging markets.

While this aggravates the growth concerns of the PC-makers, but there is a silver lining as well. Studies indicate that the average time spent on a PC has gone up by 12 minutes since 2012, thanks to the trailing millennials (18-24 years old), who view smartphones and PCs as complements, not substitutes. Te study found millennials are also spending twice as much time watching movies and TV shows on PCs rather than tablets and smartphones combined.

Hence, going forward we can expect to see a few interesting innovations which will have a significant impact on the ways users interact with the PCs.

PC-maker Lenovo believes that and there will be plenty to look forward to in the personal computing space in 2017, such as:

AR/VR Gaming – The AR/VR gaming space is projected to explode as a trend in 2017. With over 50 different headsets already confirmed to be displayed at CES 2017, gaming systems are set to dominate the PC market. We can anticipate that these technologies will grow beyond the PC gaming world as new uses are discovered for the technologies. For example, schools are piloting “Virtual Reality Corners” to diversify the learning process, bringing headsets and AR-compatible devices into the classroom.

Display Innovations – Thanks to growing consumer interest for AR/VR gaming, display innovations subsequently follow on the fast track to growing PC trends. Last year, we brought curved gaming monitors to market for more immersive gaming and will continue to invest in this space to match display capabilities with AR/VR technology that calls for vibrant, snappy visuals. Outside of gaming displays, high-impact displays like optional OLED display and 4K display will also become the standard.

IoT Integration

IoT will continue to leave an impression in 2017 as industry observers are already predicting “The Internet of Everything” to be a disruptive trend in technology for the year. Expect to see significant growth in both the consumer and B2B market where smart connectivity extends to virtually any endpoint in the home or workplace. We have ambitious R&D plans in place to make PCs and other smart devices even more integrated and intuitive.

Versatility in Laptops and Tablets – In a recent report, IDC forecasts that detachable can be considered as a PC replacement in the commercial space, with the detachable category expected to account for 31 percent of the tablet market by 2020, an increase from its current market share of 16 percent. 2017 will undoubtedly see an abundance of convertible and detachable devices on the market as portability and versatility remain top of mind for PC users who are becoming more mobile at work and at home.

Extended PC Lifecycles

In the commercial space, analysts forecast PC-as-a-Service (PCaaS) will help PC vendors transform transactional PC sales into longer-term and more profitable engagements by expanding their services portfolios bundled with PC sales. IT decision makers are positioned to drive and grow the PC market with customized add-on services to maintain and extend the lifecycle of the device.