In the report published Sunday (Apr 9), the International
Data Corporation (IDC) said global PC shipments numbered 56.9 million in the
first quarter of this year, down from 80.2 million in the same period last
year.
The shipments extended a similar year-on-year decline of
28.1 per cent in the last quarter of 2022.
Of the top five PC companies analysed in the report, Apple's
Q1 shipments saw the largest drop of 40.5 per cent from the same period in
2022, with Dell Technologies coming in second with a drop of 31 per cent.
Lenovo Group, Asustek Computer and HP also faced declines in
shipments, the IDC said.
In February, Apple reported that sales of its Mac computers,
which had boomed during the wave of working from home during the pandemic,
declined 29 per cent YoY to US$7.7 billion in their most recent quarter.
"The preliminary results also represented a coda to the
era of COVID-driven demand and at least a temporary return to pre-COVID
patterns. Shipment volume in Q1 2023 was noticeably lower than the 59.2 million
units shipped in Q1 2019 and 60.6 million in Q1 2018," IDC said.
"The pause in growth and demand is also giving the
supply chain some room to make changes as many factories begin to explore
production options outside China."
Concerns over slowdowns in major economies remain, with
recent tumult in the banking sector exacerbating worries that runaway inflation
and tight monetary policy would hamper growth and financial investments.
If the economy is trending upwards by 2024, "we expect
significant market upside as consumers look to refresh, schools seek to replace
worn-down Chromebooks, and businesses move to Windows 11", said Linn
Huang, research vice president, Devices and Displays at IDC.
"If recession in key markets drags on into next year,
recovery could be a slog." -Reuters