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Samsung denies report it will exit desktop PC business

The electronics giant plans to close its desktop business in order to focus on tablets and all-in-one laptops, according to the Korea Times, but the company refuted those claims.

Shara Tibken Former managing editor
Shara Tibken was a managing editor at CNET News, overseeing a team covering tech policy, EU tech, mobile and the digital divide. She previously covered mobile as a senior reporter at CNET and also wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal. Shara is a native Midwesterner who still prefers "pop" over "soda."
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The Samsung Series 7 all-in-one is a recent PC release by the company. CNET

Samsung desktop PCs may soon be a thing of the past.

The Korean electronics giant plans to close its desktop business in order to focus on tablets and all-in-one laptops, according to a report from the Korea Times that cited unnamed officials at the company.

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"Tablets, all-in-one and hybrid PCs are Samsung's current focus. Samsung is speeding up its restructuring of its PC business via product realignment toward profitable variants," one Samsung official told the Korea Times.

However, Samsung denied the report as "groundless" in a statement to The Next Web.

The rumor that Samsung is withdrawing from the PC desktop business is groundless. Samsung will continue to offer diverse PC products according to consumer and market needs.

Samsung is a relative newcomer to the PC industry, particularly when compared to companies such as Dell and Hewlett-Packard. While its overall PC market share is low, that business has been experiencing double-digit sales growth on a percentage basis. In the first quarter of 2013, one of the worst ever for PCs,Samsung stood out as one bright spot, in part because of its push in Google Chromebooks.

However, desktops haven't been a big focus for Samsung, particularly not in the U.S. Many other PC makers also have lessened their dependence on desktop tower PCs in favor of portable laptops and all-in-one desktops.

Updated at 7:55 p.m. PT with Samsung statement.