Worldwide PC shipments slipped for the eighth consecutive quarter according to new data released by IDC.
The market intelligence firm says global shipments of traditional PCs marginally surpassed expectations in the fourth quarter of 2023 compared to a year go, with nearly 67.1 million PCs shipped. Nevertheless that figure was down 2.7 percent from the previous year, according to preliminary results.
IDC says the holiday quarter shipments also marked the lowest fourth quarter volume since 4Q06, underscoring a market recovering slowly amidst weak demand and reliance on substantial promotions.
It says the silver lining is that the market contractions appear to have bottomed out and growth is expected in 2024.
“On an annual basis, the market has experienced unprecedented consecutive declines, marking a stark departure from historical trends tracked since 1995,” says IDC.
“In 2022, shipment volume plummeted 16.5 percent compared to the previous year, and preliminary results suggest an additional 13.9 percent contraction in 2023 compared to 2022.
“This downturn, unparalleled in the industry’s recorded history, reflects the aftermath of the significant surge in PC purchases driven by the COVID-19 pandemic.
IDC group vice president Ryan Reith said the PC market has arguably been the biggest roller coaster in terms of ups and downs, across the major technology categories, over the past four years.
He said 2024 looked like a better year with a spate of device refreshes expected, and consumers looking to buy PCs with increased artificial intelligence capability.
“There is a lot of positive momentum for PCs looking forward. While AI has clearly captured everyone’s attention, it shouldn’t be overlooked that 2024 is expected to be a strong year for commercial PC refresh, and the advancements around gaming PCs continues to drive market excitement.”
Lenovo, HP, Dell Technologies, Apple and Asus were the top brands in shipments in Q4 2023. Of these, Lenovo and HP increased market share with Dell, Apple and Asus slipping, according to Q4 year-on-year results. Calendar year figures showed similar trends.
The PC category measured includes desktops, notebooks and workstations, and does not include tablets or x86 servers.
