Personal computer sales fell off a cliff early this year. Depending on the market research, the drop was nearly 14 percent, according to IDC, or about 11 percent using Gartner research. Analysts are blaming Europe’s weak economy,  as well as the transition to Microsoft’s new operating system Windows 8.

But Al Hilwa of IDC has a different argument.

“When you go back 10 or 15 years ago, most of us bought PC’s at home because we wanted to use the same tools that we used at work,” Hilwa says. “The tablets of this world have adapted much more quickly to that demand — a much safer, cheaper way for consumers to access these services.”

To hear more about how individual PC makers are doing, click on the audio player above.