"PC Shipments Down 29% in Q1 This Year"… MacBook Sales Slump

Due to the economic slowdown, global PC shipments in the first quarter of this year decreased by nearly 30% compared to a year ago.

On the 10th (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing global market research firm IDC, reported that worldwide PC shipments in the first quarter totaled 56.9 million units, down 29% from the same period last year. This is even lower than the 59.2 million units shipped in the first quarter of 2019, before the demand surge caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The overall market size shrank as Apple, which accounts for 7.2% of the global PC market, saw its shipments drop by 40.5%. Lenovo's PC shipments fell by 30.3%, while Hewlett-Packard and Dell also decreased by 24.2% and 31%, respectively. Although PC inventory has declined over several months, IDC assessed that it remains at a high level.

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Gitesh Ubrani, IDC Research Manager, analyzed, "Despite significant discounts, retailers and PC manufacturers can expect high inventory levels to persist through mid-year, potentially until the third quarter."

Apple's stock price fell nearly 3% at one point during the morning trading session on the 10th when this news was released.

IDC forecasted that the PC industry could recover starting next year. Lin Huang, IDC Vice President, stated, "If the economy improves by then, increased PC replacement demand from consumers and schools will drive a significant market upswing. However, if the recession in major markets continues into next year, the recovery is expected to be slow."

However, IDC also analyzed that the recession has created opportunities for the industry to reorganize supply chains, as manufacturers consider relocating production bases outside of China.

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