PC market has recovered to 2012 levels, from lows in 2017
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According to preliminary data provided by IDC, shipments rose more than 34% from the industry low in 2017, to 349 million units.
It’s a remarkable bounce for a sector that has been seen by tech investors and operators as a sleepy one given its recent decline in the years before smartphones became mainstream. the most important and highest-selling product in the e-business industry.
The recovery has been fueled by lockdowns and an increase in remote work and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic, as households buy new laptops and PCs for students in classes. virtual learning and businesses buying equipment for employees to work from home.
The recovery also comes in a year marked by temporary shortages of PCs, especially during the fall, due to supply constraints from global chip shortage.
Some observers warn that the pace of sales will not be sustainable after the ebbs pandemic. In December, for example, IDC said The market has surpassed the peak demand of the pandemic and is forecast to slow down in 2022.
But some market participants remain optimistic that PC sales will continue on their current trajectory.
“We’re moving from one computer per household to one computer per person per household, which is the smartphone model.”
Rahul Tikoo
Senior Vice President, Dell Customer Product Team
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said in an October interview that he believes the PC market is on a new, sustainable upward path. Intel is the leading manufacturer of central processing units for desktops and laptops with about 80% market share.
“We think the PC business is now just larger in terms of structure. [It’s a] Gelsinger said.
Dell CEO Rahul Tikoo echoed that sentiment, saying that the pandemic has prompted a lasting change in buying behavior as everyone now needs their own PC.
“We are moving from one PC per household to one PC per person per household, which is the smart phone model,” said Tikoo, Senior Vice President, Customer Product Group, Dell. bright”. “I think computers are currently in the process of transitioning to that.”
According to IDC, the six largest PC companies by volume shipped in 2021 are Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple, Asus, and Acer.
Microsoft, the company that sells the Windows operating system used on the vast majority of PCs, is another big beneficiary of the PC boom.
Although the software giant has shifted its focus to cloud services like Azure in recent years, Windows is still a sizable business, generating $5.68 billion in revenue in the third quarter, up 10%. compared with the same period last year.