
A new forecast shows that global shipments for both PCs and tablets are set to fall dramatically this year, compared to previous shipments.
According to International Data Corporation’s Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, global shipments of traditional PCs are forecast to decline 12.8 per cent in 2022, to 305.3 million units.
IDC credit inflation, the weakening global economy, and the surge in buying during the pandemic, for the fall out in shipments.
Tablet shipments will fall a more modest 6.8 per cent to 156.8 million.
Further drops are expected in 2023, as consumer demand continues slowing and the education market remains fulfilled.
The combined market for PCs and tablets is forecast to decline 2.6 per cent in 2023, before returning to growth in 2024.
“Though demand is slowing, the outlook for shipments remains above pre-pandemic levels,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers.
“Long-term demand will be driven by a slow economic recovery combined with an enterprise hardware refresh as support for Windows 10 nears its end. Educational deployments and hybrid work are also expected to become a mainstay driving additional volumes.”
“With economic headwinds gaining speed, we expect worsening consumer sentiment to result in further consumer market contractions over the next six quarters,” added Linn Huang, research vice president, Devices & Displays.
“Economic recovery in time for the next major refresh cycle could propel some growth in the outer years of our forecast. Though volumes won’t hit pandemic peaks, we expect the consumer market to drive towards more premium ends of the market.”