NEW YORK - Research firm IDC says sales of personal computers will continue to shrink this year after a grim 2012, as consumers flock toward tablets.

IDC expects global PC sales to contract 1.3 percent this year after falling 3.7 percent last year.

For the U.S., IDC expects the third year in a row of contraction, while sales will continue to grow, albeit slowly, in the developing world.

PC makers had hoped Windows 8, which Microsoft launched in October, would help make the personal computer appealing again. But the new operating system hasn't helped, IDC notes.

A shaky global economy is contributing to the weak sales, IDC analysts say.