PC sales predictions are not as big as predicted thanks to tablet sales, according to a new report from Gartner. According to Gartner, PC shipments are on pace to total 352.4 million units in 2010, a 14.3 percent increase from 2009, which is down from Gartner’s previous PC shipment forecast in September of 17.9 percent growth.

Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner, stated: “These results reflect marked reductions in expected near-term unit growth based on expectations of weaker consumer demand, due in no small part to growing user interest in media tablets such as the iPad. Over the longer term, media tablets are expected to displace around 10 percent of PC units by 2014.”

As consumers turn towards tablets to replace their PCs, it would not be surprising if they also began using these tablets as eReaders. It is worth noting that despite the popularity of Kindles, Nooks and other dedicated eReader devices, most digital reading still happens on the PC.