IDC is noting that worldwide PC monitor shipments appear to be picking up at least in economically depressed Italy and Spain. While the overall figures were slightly below 35.0 million units in the fourth quarter of 2013 and a slight decrease of -0.4 percent the figures might be a positive sign.

“At a regional level, EMEA experienced the largest positive growth during the fourth quarter, with Italy and Spain posting the biggest gains,” the report said.

Jennifer Song, Research Analyst, Worldwide Trackers at IDC said that Dell and HP both saw increases in unit shipments for the worldwide PC monitor market for the second time in a down year. Looking ahead to the first quarter of 2014, IDC is forecasting a quarter-over-quarter decline of -9.0 per cent in worldwide shipments to 31.7 million units.

However, IDC slightly raised its total shipment forecast for the full year 2014 from 125.2 million units to 125.6 million units, which represents a decline of -8.6 per cent compared to 2013. By 2018, worldwide shipments are expected to drop further to 104.8 million units, as the adoption of mobile devices at lower price points is expected to continue.