Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Declined 6.8% in Q1 2022 | Biden News

SEE THE Q2/2022 RESULTS HERE

Worldwide PC shipments totaled 77.9 million units in the first quarter of 2022, a 6.8% decrease from the first quarter of 2021, according to preliminary results from Gartner, Inc. A sharp drop in Chromebook sales contributed significantly to the overall decline of the market.

“After unprecedented Chromebook growth in 2020 and early 2021, driven by demand from the US education market, Chromebook growth has moderated,” said Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner. “It was a challenging quarter for the PC and Chromebook market to achieve growth, as this time last year the PC market recorded its highest growth in decades.”

Excluding Chromebooks, the global PC market grew by a modest 3.9% year over year. In addition to weakened Chromebook sales, sluggish consumer demand contributed to the market’s downward trend as discretionary spending shifted away from devices. Business PCs, however, saw growth in the first quarter of 2022 as hybrid work and the return to offices created demand for desktop devices.

The top three vendors in the global PC market remained unchanged in the first quarter of 2022, with Lenovo maintaining the number 1 spot in shipments at 23.8% market share (see Table 1).

Table 1. Advance Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q22 (Thousands of Units)

Notes: Data includes desktops, laptops, ultra-mobile premiums (like Microsoft Surface) and Chromebooks, but not iPads. All data are estimated based on a preliminary study. Final ratings will be modified. The statistics are based on consignments sold in channels. Figures may not add up to totals shown due to rounding.
Source: Gartner (April 2022)

Lenovo and HP both experienced significant impacts from declining Chromebook sales in the first quarter. Lenovo was hit by slow US Chromebook sales, but that decline was moderated by its growth in Latin America and Asia Pacific. HP has prioritized Chromebooks in recent years but decreased its Chromebook focus in the second half of 2021, leading to a significant decline in total shipments for the first quarter of 2022.

Dell achieved year-over-year shipment growth in the first quarter, despite continued supply constraints in the commercial market. This quarter marked Dell’s sixth consecutive period of growth, achieved in part due to the company’s relatively minor presence in the declining Chromebook and consumer PC segments.

Apple continued its momentum to start this year, led by the popularity of the M1-based Mac devices. In the first quarter Apple introduced Mac Studio, a high-end desktop model based on M1, driving sales among computer users who require high processing power.

Regional Overview

The US saw the most significant impact from weakened Chromebook sales, with overall PC shipments down 16% year-over-year in the region. While the consumer PC market has softened compared to a year ago, the US business PC market has seen growth due to a strong economy and an increasing number of new businesses entering the market.

Dell secured the top spot in the US PC market based on shipments with a 27.1% market share, while HP followed with a 22.6% share (see Table 2).

Table 2. Advance US Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 1Q22 (Thousands of Units)

Notes: Data includes desktops, laptops, ultra-mobile premiums (like Microsoft Surface) and Chromebooks, but not iPads. All data are estimated based on a preliminary study. Final ratings will be modified. The statistics are based on consignments sold in channels. Figures may not add up to totals shown due to rounding.
Source: Gartner (April 2022)

The EMEA PC market decreased 5.8% year on year, reaching 22.6 million units. In addition to weak Chromebook demand, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had a significant impact on the region’s PC sales.

“Many computer vendors have stopped shipping devices into Russia and demand in Ukraine has collapsed,” Kitagawa said. “Furthermore, the increasing impact of upward inflationary pressure on discretionary spending has undoubtedly caused consumers to hold back on purchasing PCs, particularly in Eastern Europe, which represents around 18% of the EMEA PC market.”

Excluding Japan, the Asia-Pacific market grew by 4.6% year-on-year, mainly driven by demand for portable computers. Desktop PC sales declined in the region, due to weak demand from both consumers and businesses. Even with ongoing lockdowns in China, most buyers have already bought devices in 2020 and 2021, so demand for PCs in Asia Pacific was largely driven by replacements as it was pre-pandemic.

These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to customers of Gartner’s PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the global computer market, allowing organizations in product planning, distribution, marketing and sales to stay abreast of key issues and their future implications around the world.

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