According to preliminary research from Gartner, worldwide PC shipments totaled 73.7 million units in Q3/15, a 7.7% decline from the same time period last year.

Desktop PCs continued to show weakness with a high-single-digit decline, while the segment that combines notebook PCs and premium ultramobiles (such as the MacBook Air and Microsoft Surface Pro) recorded a low-single-digit decline.

“The global PC market has experienced price increases of around 10% throughout the year, due to the sharp appreciation of the U.S. dollar against local currencies. In the third quarter of 2015, this continued to be a major cause for weaker demand in those regions,” said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. “These impacted regions, which include EMEA, Japan and Latin America, posted double-digit declines in the third quarter. Asia/Pacific and the U.S. were more stable.”

Windows 10 was launched in Q3/15, but it had a minimal impact on shipments in the quarter. Gartner analysts said the focus of the Windows launch in the quarter was to upgrade to Windows 10 on existing PCs, rather than ship on new PCs.

While Q3/15 results illustrated gloomy market conditions for the PC market, there is a positive aspect in the results. According to Gartner’s 2015 personal technology survey, 50% of consumers expressed intention to purchase a PC in the next 12 months, compared with 21% for tablet purchase intention.

“This change in consumer preferences toward PCs was visible in the preliminary data, as we saw positive growth in U.S notebook and premium ultramobile shipments,” said Kitagawa. “Soft recovery is expected to start in 4Q15, as Windows 10 product refreshes start to appear. In the meantime, PC manufacturers should adjust configurations for 2016 without the impact of price hikes seen in 2015, which will lead into more stable market conditions in the upcoming year.”