Who said PCs are dead?

According to separate reports from research firms Gartner and IDC, PC shipments grew for the first time since 2012.

More specifically this year’s second quarter, with Gartner noting a 1.4% and IDC recording a slightly higher 2.7%. Part of the reason for the discrepancy here is that each firm records PC shipments differently, taking into account certain types of devices, all well as vendors, that the other may not.

Also intriguing is the reason why both determined the increase in shipments for Q2 2018, with each pointing to different influences, likely in a bid to look like they weren’t cribbing one another’s homework.

IDC pointed to different types of PCs and notebooks resulting in the push, as well as an increased need for internal components. “Chrome OS-based devices, premium notebooks, and gaming PCs all further fuelled the mix in the wake of improved supply and prices of graphic cards,” read IDC’s report.

Gartner on the other hand highlighted the business market for the upturn, despite the consumer market still slumping. “In the consumer space, the fundamental market structure, due to changes on PC user behaviour, still remains, and continues to impact market growth,” adding principal analyst at Gartner, Mikako Kitagawa.

Regardless of the reason, it’s clearly benefiting manufacturers, with HP, Dell, Acer, Lenovo and Apple all experiencing stronger showings. It’s not sweeping the industry though, with other companies failing to have as successful a quarter.

Was this just an anomaly in a downturn that’s been lasting the better part of a decade, or is this the start of renewed growth for PCs?

We’ll have to wait for Gartner and IDC’s Q3 reports to find out.