Business Insider reports on a chart that shows that the iPad really is having a strong effect on Consumer PC Growth. According to the report, Citi analyst Walter Pritchard has said that the growth of PC sales is about to go negative. This is incredibly significant because, as Business Insider notes, Microsoft’s consumer PC sales growth has never declined before, even when Vista was released, or during the current recession.

The chart does not mention the iPad of course, but Business Insider makes the link itself, by pointing to the launch of the iPad as the reason, and really, when you look at the figures, and the timeline of the decline, you have to think that they’re right. Commenting on the chart, 9to5 Mac says that this could be very bad news for Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, especially with even more competition on the way from Google’s forthcoming ChromeOS and possibly even ARM-powered Apple laptops.

Source: CHART OF THE DAY: Proof The iPad Is Affecting Consumer PC Sales, iPad to send Windows into negative growth for the first time ever? | 9 to 5 Mac