It looks like the PC industry is on a rebound, as despite the slow first quarter (due to broken supply chains), 2020 is looking out to be one of the biggest years for the industry, according to experts and analysts.
According to the latest report by technology market research firm Canalys, Global shipments of personal computers (PCs) are expected to hit 143 million units in the last quarter of 2020. This is estimated to bring the total PC shipments in 2020 to 458 million units, a remarkable annual surge of 17%. The unprecedented rise in purchases is so high that manufactures are still fulfilling outstanding orders, hardware industry executives and analysts said.
According to the report, the year was ruled by Notebooks, which are expected to reach 241.1 million shipments in the last 12 months. Tablets were the second most popular item, with 156.1 million shipments. Desktop PCs were the least favored, with 60.8 million units sold, a 23% reduction from last year. Nonetheless, this was a massive year for the PC industry.
Furthermore, according to a report by the International Data Corporation (IDC), the rise in purchases is mainly due to “work from home” employees and students. The Research Manager at IDC, Jitesh Ubrani said that there will be a “fundamental shift” in everyone’s workflow which will lead to a “lasting impact” on the PC market in 2022 and beyond. Moreover, Rushabh Doshi, Research Director at Canalys also thinks that the 4 factors that will drive PC market growth in 2021 and beyond will be remote working, digital learning, device as a service and emerging use cases.
Reacting to rise in sales, the Pan-America president at hardware maker Acer Inc. Gregg Prendergast has commented that the supply chain has never suffered such strain before. The lockdown has exasperated the storage of essentials components necessary to build PCs, such as screens and processors. Analysts claim the sales forecast for 2021 could’ve been higher if not for the lockdown.
This rise was first seen in the second and third quarters of this year for the PC market. After a slow Q1 and a promising Q2, Q3 saw stellar performance for the PC market, witnessing a 12.7% growth in shipments over the last year, breaking a 10-year long record. Notebooks, much like the previous quarters, benefited the most from this surge, as shipments reached a massive 64 million. This saw the shipments of notebooks and workstations grow by 28.3% year over year.
The Covid-19 lockdown has not only affected students and employees, but also gamers. The global sales of gaming PCs grew by 16.2% during 2020. According to Safe Betting Sites’ data, the most popular devices have been high-end gaming PCs, which are projected to account for 47% of gaming PC profits, or around $18.5 billion.
