With tablets now taking a big bite out of traditional PC sales, PC manufacturers are looking for a way to tap into the mobile zeitgeist that is leaving them behind. According to a new DigiTimes report, those manufacturers are now betting that convertible all-in-one PCs will be the key to bringing back the PC market. The devices function as tablets, as well as notebook computers.

The report’s unnamed “sources from the upstream supply chain” are quoted as saying convertible all-in-one PC shipment predictions are being ramped up for the second quarter of 2014. The sources blame this shift on Intel, which is heavily marketing its part in all-in-one Windows-based machines that can also function as portable mega-tablets.

While current all-in-one offerings from HP, Sony, Lenovo, and Asus run Microsoft’s Windows 8 platform, DigiTimes’ sources believe the coming wave of all-in-ones could be running Google’s Android instead. They are also rumored to be more tablet-like than notebook-like, with manufacturers focusing on apps and content rather than the productivity the notebook aspects of the devices provide.

This optimism for all-in-ones could be misplaced, as consumers have consistently preferred 7-inch tablets to larger 10-inch versions. An even bigger, heavier tablet-like device in unlikely to change that. Also, consumers did not rush to upgrade to Widows 8 during last holiday season, showing instead apathy toward the touch-friendly interface that was a large part of that OS. As Microsoft has learned with its Surface tablets, consumers don’t seem to want more expensive multipurpose devices.

(Image courtesy HP)