Traditional PC Market Sees Upswing Despite Component Shortages

Traditional PCs (notebooks, desktops and workstations) saw 13.2 percent year-over-year growth in the second quarter of 2021 — in spite of electronic component shortages caused by the public policy response to the pandemic. However, largely owing to shortages, desktops grew at a higher rate than notebooks, according to a preliminary report from market research firm IDC.

The growth in the second quarter was, however, much less substantial than the previous two quarters (55.9 percent in the first quarter of the year and 25.8 percent in the fourth quarter of last year).

"The market faces mixed signals as far as demand is concerned," said Neha Mahajan, senior research analyst with IDC’s Devices and Displays Group, in a prepared statement. "With businesses opening back up, demand potential in the commercial segment appears promising. However, there are also early indicators of consumer demand slowing down as people shift spending priorities after nearly a year of aggressive PC buying."

Lenovo was the top manufacturer in the second quarter, with 20 million units shipped. HP came in second at 18.6 million, followed by Dell (13.98 million), Apple (6.16 million) and Acer (6.09 million).

For more information, visit IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


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