PC shipments extend slide, falling 11% in Q3

New York

SHIPMENTS of personal computers fell nearly 11 per cent last quarter, to the shock of almost no one. Sales have been declining for so long - 14 consecutive quarters - that it is becoming harder to remember a time when PCs ruled the tech world.

The prolonged slump helps explain why so many of the leading PC makers are scrambling to continue remaking themselves in a world dominated by mobile devices operated with touch, rather than mouse clicks.