PC hardware sales saw the heaviest annual decline in history during 2013, according to industry analyst Gartner, Digital Spy said.

Figures from the research firm suggest that home computer sales dropped by almost 7% year-on-year during the period ending in December, marking a seventh consecutive quarter of contraction.

Shipments of desktops and laptops fell by a total of 10% for the year, plummeting to levels not seen since 2009 as consumers turn to tablets and smartphones for their computing needs.

"Although PC shipments continued to decline in the worldwide market in the fourth quarter, we increasingly believe markets, such as the US, have bottomed out as the adjustment to the installed base slows," said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner.

"Strong growth in tablets continued to negatively impact PC growth in emerging markets. In emerging markets, the first connected device for consumers is most likely a smartphone, and their first computing device is a tablet.

"As a result, the adoption of PCs in emerging markets will be slower as consumers skip PCs for tablets."

Moreover, research firm IDC has forecast that PC sales will continue to slide, falling by an additional 3.8% in the coming quarters as touchscreen devices continue to gain traction.