The numbers prove it: We’re using fewer PCs and more smartphones and tablets.
IDC just released its 2012 4Q stats on smart connected devices (smartphones, tablets, and PCs) and shipments (367.7 million) were up 28.3 percent from last year. Tablets helped that growth with a 78.4 percent year-over-year increase from 2011. Smartphones also grew by 46.1 percent.
Shipments of portable and desktop PCs, meanwhile, declined last quarter. Desktop PCs saw a 4.1 percent year-over-year decrease, while portable PCs decreased by 3.4 percent.
“Smartphones and tablets are growing at a pace that PCs can’t realistically keep up with because of device prices and to some extent disposability,” said IDC’s Ryan Reith.
Overall, IDC said that there were 1.2 billion smart connected device shipments in 2012.
In terms of companies, Samsung jumped past Apple in 2012 with more than 20 percent share across the four device categories. Samsung shipped 250 million PCs, tablets and smartphones in 2012, up 119.3 percent from 2011. Apple, however, did lead in tablet shipments.
