(By Balaseshan) Shipments of all-in-one (AiO) PC are expected to outpace the traditional desktop PCs with a double-digit growth, according to a report from information and analytics provider IHS Inc. (NYSE:IHS).
Shipments of AiO PCs are expected to increase 20% to 16.4 million units this year from 13.7 million units last year. Worldwide growth of traditional desktop PC shipments in 2012 will amount to a dismal 0.2%, rising from about 132.0 million units to 132.3 million units.
It is expected that shipments would hit an estimated 24.8 million units by 2016, equivalent to a five-year compound annual growth rate of nearly 13%. IHS iSuppli said AiO PCs will help prop an ailing market for overall desktop PC systems with their shipments projected to surge this year and beyond.
IHS iSuppli believes the fast-growing AiO space may, in fact, save the overall desktop segment -- already battered by competing consumer devices, like smartphones, media tablets and even mobile PCs such as laptops and Ultrabooks -- from going into further decline.
Unlike traditional desktop PCs, all-in-one PCs utilize a different form factor, which integrates the display and base unit into a common chassis, with the power cable permanently attached to the entire mechanism.
The current AiO examples on the market include the iMac range of products from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), as well as the TouchSmart series of PCs from Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HP).
Apple was No. 1 last year in AiO shipments, with 28% share of the market, followed by Lenovo, Dell, HP and Sony. The largest original development manufacturer for Aio PCs was Quanta Computer of Taiwan, whose clients include Apple, Lenovo and HP. Pegatron and Wistron, also from Taiwan, were other important manufacturers of the machines.