PC Shipments Down 12.3% in Q1... Largest Decline in 7 Years

Due to the Impact of COVID-19, PC Shipments Plummet... Logistics Disruptions Add to the Blow

Preliminary results of Gartner's global PC shipments for the first quarter. The figures include desktop PCs, notebook PCs, and ultra-mobile premium devices (e.g., Microsoft Surface). Chromebooks and iPads are excluded.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] PC shipments in the first quarter recorded the largest decline since 2013 due to the direct impact of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

On the 14th, market research firm Gartner announced preliminary results for global personal computer (PC) shipments in the first quarter of 2020, reporting a total shipment volume of 51.63 million units, a 12.3% decrease compared to 58.86 million units in the same period last year. The global PC market, which had shown growth for three consecutive quarters, experienced the steepest decline since 2013 due to COVID-19.

Mikako Kitagawa, Senior Researcher at Gartner, stated, "The biggest factor affecting the decline in PC shipments was the outbreak of COVID-19, which also disrupted PC supply and demand. Following the first lockdown measures in China at the end of January, PC production decreased in February, leading to logistics issues."

Although the lockdown measures expanded to other regions, creating demand for PCs for remote work and online classes, PC manufacturers were unable to keep up with the demand.

By company, Lenovo maintained its position as the global PC market leader, but its shipments in the first quarter of 2020 decreased by 3.2%, and in the Asia-Pacific region, shipments fell by 22.6% compared to the same period last year. HP, which had shown growth for three consecutive quarters, recorded a 12.1% decrease in shipments. HP experienced double-digit shipment declines in all major regions, suffering the greatest impact in the desktop-based PC segment in the Asia-Pacific region and the Japanese market.

Dell was the only company to increase shipments despite the impact of COVID-19, with an annual growth of 2.2%. Dell's shipments increased in all regions except the Asia-Pacific in the first quarter of 2020, showing particularly notable growth in the Americas, where commercial PC demand remained relatively stable through March.

Senior Researcher Mikako Kitagawa explained, "The shipment results by supplier this quarter particularly reflect the growing economic uncertainty that is causing small and medium-sized businesses to tighten PC spending. With the end of the Windows 10 upgrade cycle, companies are shifting their IT budgets from PCs to strategic business continuity planning."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.