Things are going from bad to worse for OEMs in the PC industry, which has reportedly entered the longest slump in its history with a 10.9% decline in shipments over the last quarter. Altogether, the research firm Gartner reports that global PC shipments have fallen to just 76 million units for the second quarter of 2013.

The decline has affected all five of the world’s biggest PC vendors, not one of whom managed to record any growth. Even the star performer Lenovo, which up until now had always managed to buck the trend, finally saw its total global shipments fall. On the bright side however, it appears that the Chinese-owned firm has finally managed to overhaul HP as the world’s number one PC maker, a statement that was later independently backed up by IDC.

According to Gartner, the PC market slump is not something that’s tied to any particular region – shipments have fallen across all markets, with Asia/Pacific registering its fifth consecutive quarter of decline. More worrying is the alarming rate in which shipments are sliding in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, which all saw double-digit decline for the second successive quarter.

Funnily enough, the one bright spot seems to be the US, where two firms have managed to arrest weather the storm. Lenovo recorded especially strong growth of 19.7%, whilst Dell managed a healthy 6.4% increase in US shipments. HP continues to lead the field in the US with 26.2% market share, but overall growth fell by 0.5%. Elsewhere, Apple also saw shipments take a knock, falling by 4.3% despite often being viewed as a company that’s immune to broader market trends.

It’s important to note that these figures aren’t definite, merely being Gartner’s estimates. Nevertheless it’s sure to be depressing news for OEMs which must be rueing the day Apple ever decided to invent its game-changing iPad.

Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, pinned the blame squarely on tablets:

“We are seeing the PC market reduction directly tied to the shrinking installed base of PCs, as inexpensive tablets displace the low-end machines used primarily for consumption in mature and developed markets.”

“In emerging markets, inexpensive tablets have become the first computing device for many people, who at best are deferring the purchase of a PC. This is also accounting for the collapse of the mini notebook market.”

PC Industry’s Sick, But It’s Not Terminal

OEMs will be concerned, but just because shipments are falling it doesn’t mean we’re heading for the doomsday scenario that many other news outlets have forecast. The PC isn’t dying, despite what others would have you believe. People are always going to need laptops and desktops, as these are the only way to get any work done efficiently for thousands of professionals the world over. The problem for OEMs is with consumers, who no longer feel the need to own/upgrade a full blown PC.

The market is evolving as consumers come to the conclusion that they can easily fulfill their computing needs with more affordable mobile devices. Few consumers need much more than a web browser, some apps and maybe a few office tools, and these are all things that tablets and even smartphones can provide. Another point that’s been raised often is that today’s computers are simply superior to older models, and so many people have no reason to upgrade their three or four year old machines anymore, as they’re still capable of doing everything they need.

We may see some casualties from this trend however, evidenced by the fact that all of the major PC makers are desperately searching for an escape route. We have HP pushing into storage and mobile devices, Dell desperately trying to restructure itself so it can pursue its enterprise goals, while Lenovo is heavily reliant on emerging markets and looking to break into mobile.

Sure to be interesting times ahead.