We have just witnessed a 3% year-on-year growth in global PC shipments, following two years of decline, with the industry returning to pre-pandemic levels. The change -- confirmed in a report by Counterpoint Research -- is credited to the onset of the AI PC era, shipment recoveries in respective sectors, and end-user upgrade cycles.
Counterpoint's report broadly agrees with the recent findings of IDC, which detailed 8% growth during Q1 2024. Both research groups reckon Lenovo is enjoying the lion's share of the global PC market with 23-24%, followed by HP and Dell. Apple also enjoyed some growth, which may be credited to its M3-based systems. These companies are consistent and resilient in maintaining their top four placings in the global market.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Q1 2024 | Q1 2023 | Y-O-Y Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lenovo | 13.7 | 12.7 | 8.00% |
| HP Inc | 12 | 11.9 | 1.00% |
| Dell | 9.2 | 9.3 | -0.40% |
| Apple Inc. | 5 | 4.9 | 2.00% |
| Acer | 3.7 | 3.5 | 6.00% |
| Others | 13.7 | 13.6 | 1.00% |
This year, we should see many AI PCs and notebooks sold globally. Qualcomm also wants a piece of the personal computing market, as it intends to compete against Intel and AMD with its highly anticipated Snapdragon X-powered notebooks, teased to debut in just a few days. That said, even AMD and Intel have been preparing to launch processors and SoCs with artificial intelligence processing boosts. Industry players hope AI adoption will exponentially grow the market, but we are still waiting for the killer app(s) that integrate AI on PCs.
Progress despite trade sanctions in China and Russia
It's also noteworthy that domestic brands in Russia and China are expected to commandeer large portions of their PC market, largely due to sanctions. With mainstream brands being displaced, one might have expected market shares to be more disrupted. Remember, China is regarded as one of the most important and largest PC markets in the world.
While China has made progress with its chip-making business as it continues to import new tools, Russia has seen less success. It is thought that China has been supplying its chips to Russia, creating another revenue flow. Regardless, both countries have their own solutions for operating systems and software to replace Windows and cloud computing apps like Office 365. It is too early to say if research groups will be able to assess these country's growth levels, but it will be interesting to keep track of regardless.
In conclusion, despite the disruptive conditions and headwinds, the AI-fuelled growth and reinvigoration of the global PC market looks like it already has some momentum in early 2024.
