Thanks to hundreds of millions of people working, teaching or studying from home in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, the global PC industry enjoyed a renaissance during that time. After years of decline or stagnation at best, the industry bounced back with double-digit shipment growth in 2020 and 2021. With more than 340 million PCs shipped in 2021, it was the best since 2012, when the industry's decline began.
As people had already equipped their workplaces at home and/or were returning to the office, demand was fading in 2022, with inflation and geopolitical uncertainties not helping the situation. According to Gartner, global PC shipments dropped by 16 percent year-over-year, while remaining above pre-pandemic levels.
However, the same can't be said for 2023. With a further decline of 15 percent and only 242 million units shipped, the market hit its lowest point of the last 15 years. As Gartner Director Analyst Mikako Kitagawa said in the press release accompanying the 2023 shipment figures, recovery might be spotty over the next few months due to "the anticipated component price hike [...], as well as geopolitical and economic uncertainties."
Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, there had already been a positive trend in PC shipments, as the end of support for Windows 7 had sparked a replacement cycle, ending seven years of negative growth in 2019. However, without the pandemic, that trend would likely have faded in 2020.
