Global shipments of personal computers (PCs) fell 29 percent in the first quarter of 2023 due to weak demand, excess inventory and a deteriorating macroeconomic climate Apple hardest hit, market research firm IDC said.
In the report released Sunday, International Data Corporation (IDC) said global PC shipments in the first quarter of this year were 56.9 million, compared with 80.2 million in the same period last year.
Deliveries in the final quarter of 2022 showed a similar 28.1 percent year-on-year decline.
Of the top five PC companies analyzed in the report, Apple’s first-quarter shipments saw the largest decline of 40.5 percent from the same period in 2022 Dell Technologies follow in second place with a minus of 31 percent.
Lenovo Group, Asustek Computers and HP also faced declines in shipments, the IDC said.
In February, Apple reported that sales of its Mac computers, which have been booming amid the pandemic’s work-from-home surge, fell 29 percent year-on-year to US$7.7 billion (about Rs.63,083 billion) in the most recent quarter.
“The preliminary results also provided a coda for the era of COVID-driven demand and at least a temporary return to pre-COVID patterns. Shipment volume in the first quarter of 2023 was significantly lower than the 59.2 million units reported in the first quarter of 2019 and 60.6 million shipped in the first quarter of 2018,” IDC said.
“The pause in growth and demand is also giving the supply chain some room for change as many factories begin to explore manufacturing opportunities outside of China.”
Concerns about the slowdown in major economies remain, with the recent turmoil in the banking sector adding to fears that runaway inflation and tight monetary policy would hamper growth and financial investment.
If the economy turns up through 2024, “we expect significant upside potential in the market as consumers seek to refresh, schools seek to replace worn-out Chromebooks, and businesses migrate to Windows 11,” said Linn Huang, research vice president, Devices and Displays at IDC.
“If the recession in key markets stretches into next year, the recovery could be a nuisance.”
© Thomson Reuters 2023
