The global PC market is showing signs of recovery after a two-year decline, posting moderate sales growth in the first quarter of 2024, returning to pre-pandemic levels despite challenges in China.
PC market recovery
Positive dynamics
In the first quarter of 2024, approximately 60 million computers were sold worldwide, which is 1.5% more than a year earlier. This is confirmed by reports from leading analytical companies IDC and Canalys. The PC market returned to growth after two years of contraction, reaching pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2019, when 60.5 million computers were sold. Thus, the market actually rolled back 5 years.
Market structure
According to Canalys, shipments of laptops (including mobile workstations) have increased by 4.2% to 45.1 million units, while the desktop PC segment (including desktop workstations) remained virtually unchanged, down just 0.4% to 12.1 million units. Declining inflation contributed to the recovery of PC sales in all key regions - the US, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). However, deflationary pressures in China, the largest market, have weighed on the global PC market, with the desktop PC segment hit particularly hard, down a further 25% due to the rise in popularity of laptops.
Market leaders
The top 5 largest PC manufacturers remained unchanged, only Acer and ASUS have switched places in recent months. Chinese Lenovo retained its status as the largest PC supplier in the world, having sold 13.7 million computers. US HP lagged slightly behind with 12.0 million units. The largest sales growth (+14.6%) was demonstrated by Apple, which indicates successful sales of the updated MacBook Pro on M3, M3 Pro and M3 Max chips, as well as other models. In the top five, only ASUS and Dell saw a decline in sales; the rest either increased or, like HP, maintained the same level.
Market outlook
Analysts forecast continued positive dynamics throughout the year, despite weak demand in China. This will be facilitated by the new PC update cycle and the transition to Windows 11 (it's time to update computers purchased during the pandemic), as well as the emergence of new AI PCs. Canalys expects vendors to ship nearly 50 million AI computers equipped with a separate integrated AI unit, such as an NPU, to market in 2024.
Glossary
- IDC (International Data Corporation) is a leading analytical company that studies the information technology market.
- Canalys is an international consulting company specializing in technology market analysis.
- MacBook Pro is a line of high-performance laptops from Apple.
- M3, M3 Pro, M3 Max – Apple's own ARM processors for Mac computers.
- NPU (Neural Processing Unit) is a specialized processor for accelerating artificial intelligence tasks.
Links
FAQ
How did PC sales change in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year?
What factors influenced the recovery of the PC market?
How has the PC market structure changed in the first quarter of 2024?
Which companies are the leaders in the PC market and how have their positions changed?
What prospects for the PC market are expected in the near future?
Hashtags
Save a link to this article
Discussion of the topic – The PC and laptop market is growing again: Lenovo is the leader, but Apple is advancing
After a two-year decline, the global personal computer market returned to growth in the first quarter of 2024. According to reports from IDC and Canalys, about 60 million PCs were sold, which is 1.5% more than a year earlier. Lenovo remains the leader, but Apple is actively increasing its share.
Latest comments
9 comments
Write a comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are checked *
Давид
It is interesting to look at the recovery of the PC market after a difficult period, what is the reason for this? Demand for new technologies, updating the device fleet or other factors? 🤔
Анна
In my opinion, fleet renewal is indeed one of the key reasons. Many companies and users put off buying new PCs due to the pandemic and are now forced to upgrade their devices. Plus the release of new products, such as the MacBook Pro with M3, is sure to fuel demand. 💻
Андреас
I think the decline in inflation also played a role. People now feel more financially confident and are willing to invest in new gadgets. Well, the transition to Windows 11 - many companies will probably want to upgrade their PC fleet to use the new OS. 💰
Эмма
I agree with Andreas. Reducing inflation is an important factor for market recovery. Plus, the trend towards remote work and learning is forcing people to buy new laptops and PCs for their homes. I just upgraded my old laptop to a new model with a bigger screen and better performance.💻🏡
Бартош
Don't forget about the influence of the gaming industry. The release of new powerful video cards and processors for gaming PCs certainly attracted the attention of the gaming audience and contributed to sales growth. 🎮
Константин
Some kind of nonsense... 👎 Why do people need these newfangled PCs and laptops of yours? Computers of the previous generation already cope well with their tasks. Just a marketing ploy to sell more devices, and then they will become obsolete in a couple of years and you will need to buy a new one! A useless waste of money.
Мария
Konstantin, I understand your distrust of new technologies, but life does not stand still. 🙂 Modern PCs and laptops have much better performance, energy efficiency and security compared to devices of yesteryear. They are really needed for comfortable work and entertainment in our time.
Джованни
I work as a designer and upgrading my PC is vital for me. Old machines simply can't handle modern 3D modeling and rendering software. 💻👨🎨 A new powerful PC allows me to work more efficiently and not waste time waiting for rendering. It pays off handsomely!
Софи
As for me, it was a combination of all factors that led to the growth of the PC market. Decrease in inflation, release of new models, obsolescence of old hardware, transition to new OS and, of course, the need for productive machines for remote work and entertainment. Nowadays, a PC is extremely important for all areas of life. 💻😊