PC shipments saw the biggest drop ever last quarter

It’s no secret that conditions are ripe for PC demand to plummet this holiday season, but it’s now clear how bad that drop really is. Gartner and IDC estimates PC shipments fell more than 28% year-over-year in Q4 2022. That’s the steepest quarterly decline Gartner has ever recorded — by no means a miracle when it comes to market tracking to begin with. computers in the 1990s. Both analysis groups also found annual shipments to fall by more than 16% in 2022 from the year before.

Some manufacturers suffer more damage than others. The top three brands, Lenovo, HP, and Dell, saw their sales drop from 29% to 37% at the end of 2022 compared to a year earlier. According to Gartner, Acer has achieved a staggering 41%. In fourth place is Apple taking a relatively light blow, although that still means its sales are down as much as 10%.

Gartner and IDC have the same interpretation. sell computers skyrocketing in 2021 as people continue to work from home during the pandemic, but that interest wanes as people gradually return to the office. Furthermore, the deteriorating global economy leaves people with less money to spend on upgrades. Simply put, potential customers who have had a PC recently or are having trouble buying a new PC.

IDC quickly brought the phenomenon of free fall into context. While the quarterly and annual declines are huge, shipments in 2022 are still “much higher” than pre-pandemic figures, according to the researchers. While demand still looks tepid, the market is stronger than before.

Don’t expect the heyday of PCs to return for a while. Neither team expects a serious recovery until 2024, and IDC only sees “opportunities” in 2023. Like it or not, PC makers may have to brace themselves. up and hope that the combination of new designs and discounts will maintain interest rates for next year.