Global PC shipments have seen massive growth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Today, we have the latest compiled information from International Data Corporation (IDC), with the company updating its Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker for Q2 of 2021.
According to IDC, the demand for PCs has remained quite strong. Global shipments of notebooks, traditional desktops, and workstations have reached 83.6 million units in Q2 of 2021 alone. That represents a 13.2% increase from the same period in 2020. It is noted that the component shortage that hit the notebook segment lead the desktops to outpace notebooks in the number of sold units.
Even though the numbers of PC sales are still growing, statistics indicate that there could be signs of market cooling off. In Q1 of 2021, PC shipments experienced 55.9% growth compared to the same period of 2020. In Q4 of 2020, shipments grew 25.8% compared to the same period in 2019. While this outcome produces mixed signals, it also indicates that we may experience lower demand for PCs as more quarters go by.
As noted by IDC’s Devices and Displays Group senior research analyst Neha Mahajan, we see that "The market faces mixed signals as far as demand is concerned. With businesses opening back up, demand potential in the commercial segment appears promising. However, there are also early indicators of consumer demand slowing down as people shift spending priorities after nearly a year of aggressive PC buying."
As far as individual companies, there are just a few that led the way of shipping millions of units single-handedly. At the top of the stack, there is Lenovo that holds 23.9% of the Q2 2021 market. Closely following is HP with its 22.2% share, after which comes Dell with a 16.7% grab. For 4th and 5th place, we see Apple and Acer tagging along with their 7.4% and 7.3% share, respectively. Below you can take a look at the table designed by IDC, showing the growth of shipments by each company, displayed in thousands of units.
| Company | 2Q21 Shipments | 2Q21 Market Share | 2Q20 Shipments | 2Q20 Market Share | 2Q21/2Q20 Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lenovo | 20,005 | 23.9% | 17,407 | 23.6% | 14.9% |
| 2. HP Inc. | 18,594 | 22.2% | 18,104 | 24.5% | 2.7% |
| 3. Dell Technologies | 13,976 | 16.7% | 12,010 | 16.3% | 16.4% |
| 4T. Apple | 6,156 | 7.4% | 5,630 | 7.6% | 9.4% |
| 4T. Acer Group | 6,088 | 7.3% | 5,177 | 7.0% | 17.6% |
| Others | 18,795 | 22.5% | 15,551 | 21.0% | 20.9% |
| Total | 83,614 | 100.0% | 73,879 | 100.0% | 13.2% |
It is important to note that IDC declares a tie when the difference between the two companies is just 0.1%. Additionally, the company reported that the growth of smaller vendors has helped PC shipments a lot, as they managed to offer unique designs for niche applications. Thus, they managed to satisfy all the segments in need of a PC.
