PC market fell in Q3, but growth expected Q4

Market news | October 10, 2023

By Peter Clarke

Analog MPUs/MCUs

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PC shipments were 64.3 million in 3Q23, down 9 percent on the year before, according to market analysis firm Gartner. However, after eight quarters of decline the market’s recovery is expected to begin in Q4.

“There is evidence that the PC market’s decline has finally bottomed out,” said Mikako Kitagawa, an analyst at Gartner, in a statement. “Seasonal demand from the education market boosted shipments in the third quarter, although enterprise PC demand remained weak, offsetting some growth. Vendors also made consistent progress towards reducing PC inventory, with inventory expected to return to normal by the end of 2023, as long as holiday sales do not collapse.”

The top vendor ranking in the worldwide PC market remained unchanged in 3Q23 with Lenovo capturing 25.1 percent of the market and retaining the top spot.

Worldwide PC vendor unit shipment preliminary estimates for 3Q23 (thousands of units). Source: Gartner. October 2023. Notes: Data includes desktop and laptop PCs that are equipped with Windows, macOS or Chrome OS. All data is estimated based on a preliminary study. Final estimates will be subject to change. The statistics are based on shipments selling into channels. Numbers may not add up to totals shown due to rounding

“The good news for PC vendors is that that the worst could be over by the end of 2023,” said Kitagawa. “The business PC market is ready for the next replacement cycle, driven by the Windows 11 upgrades. Consumer PC demand should also begin to recover as PCs purchased during the pandemic are entering the early stages of a refresh cycle.”

Gartner is projecting 4.9 percent shipment growth for the worldwide PC market for 2024, with growth expected in both the business and consumer segments.