Global personal computer sales see biggest drop in two decades

Global personal computer (PC) sales fell the most in two decades in the September quarter. Shipments of desktops and laptops fell by about 19.5 percent year-on-year to about 68 million units. This is the fourth consecutive quarter of decline in PC shipments.

Market research firm Gartner Report It said that with people returning to offices and schools reopening, PC demand in both consumer and enterprise segments has declined. Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa said, “With the removal of supply chain bottlenecks, excess inventory has become a major problem due to weak PC demand in both consumer and enterprise segments.” Many consumers had purchased new personal computers in the last two years and hence the demand in this segment is weak. Due to tensions between some countries and weakening economic conditions, companies have reduced their IT spending and PCs are not a priority for them.

Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) saw the biggest decline of 26.4 percent in the September quarter. This is the third consecutive quarter of decline in sales in this region. Weakening economic conditions in Europe and the war between Ukraine and Russia are affecting demand. Gartner says that many PC vendors in Russia closed their business in the first two quarters of this year. This has had a negative impact on total shipments and is visible in the comparison on a year-on-year basis. PC sales in Asia Pacific declined by 16.6 percent on a year-on-year basis. The main reason for this is the lockdown in many cities of China due to the epidemic. This has slowed down the business of companies and reduced the demand for personal computers in consumer, government and enterprise segments.

Dell led the PC market in terms of total PC shipments with a market share of 26.8 percent, followed by HP (around 23.2 percent), Apple (16 percent) and Lenovo (around 15.8 percent). Dell’s laptop shipments declined in all regions except Japan. However, its desktop shipments grew year-on-year in all regions except Asia Pacific.