New numbers tell a dark story for PC manufacturers, except perhaps Apple. New Gartner stats are unequivocal: worldwide sales are down 8.3%. Source: Gartner Apple is the only brand bucking the tide, with growth of 2.8% and market share of 6.7% at this point. The economic downdraft is likely having a large impact, and even Microsoft’s Windows 10 might not be able to counter that trend. The elephant in the room is tablets: are they now at the point where they can replace PCs, even for the most hardbitten PC users?