Global PC shipments continue to fall in 2016

The PC is continuing to fall in relevance with consumers due to a number of factors. New data released today by two separate analyst firms, Gartner and IDC, peg the fall in sales for the first quarter of 2016 at 9.6 and 11.5 percent, respectively, across the globe.

“In the short term, the PC market must still grapple with limited consumer interest and competition from other infrastructure upgrades in the commercial market,” said IDC research manager Jay Chou, in a statement.

It's not only competition from smartphones, though -- everything from longer lifespans of hardware to political turmoil can affect shipments. 

This news follows in the footsteps of a 10.6 percent drop in PC shipments in 2015, according to IDC.

Of course, this isn't necessarily bad news for developers: consumer spending on PC games has actually been rising over the last several years, according to analyst reports.