Global PC shipment growth drops as supply fails to meet demand

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After 5 quarters of double-digit gains, the PC marketplace grew by conscionable 5% past 4th arsenic vendors struggled to fulfill an bid backlog, Canalys says.

Global PC shipments scored different summation past quarter, but maturation was connected the anemic broadside compared with the past respective quarters. On Monday, probe steadfast Canalys pegged third-quarter shipments astatine 84.1 million, a summation of conscionable 5% from the aforesaid 4th successful 2020. That represented a downturn from the 13% maturation seen a twelvemonth agone and a instrumentality to single-digit gains pursuing 5 quarters of healthier results.

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Canalys blamed the diminution connected the inability of vendors and transmission partners to fulfill a persistent backlog of orders.

"Disruption to the planetary proviso concatenation and logistics web remains the cardinal inhibitor of higher maturation successful the PC market," Canalys elder expert Ishan Dutt said successful a property release. "More than a twelvemonth connected from the onset of the pandemic, manufacturing continues to beryllium hindered by lockdowns and different COVID-19 related restrictions, peculiarly successful Asia. This has been compounded by a monolithic slowdown successful planetary proscription with freight prices and hold times skyrocketing arsenic a fig of industries vie to conscionable unfulfilled demand."

Shipments of notebooks and mobile workstations took the biggest hit, increasing conscionable 3% from a twelvemonth agone to scope 68.4 million. Shipments of desktops and desktop workstations were successful amended shape, rising by 12% to 16.6 million. Despite the driblet successful growth, PC volumes are inactive astatine a precocious level acknowledgment to however good the marketplace did successful the 3rd 4th of 2020. The wide manufacture has seen a steadfast two-year compound yearly maturation complaint of 9% from the 3rd 4th of 2019.

Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple and Acer were the apical 5 PC vendors for the quarter. Among these, Lenovo took the apical spot with shipments of 19.8 cardinal units, a tiny summation of 2.5%. In 2nd place, HP was the lone vendor to spot a alteration with shipments falling by 5.7% owed to a driblet successful Chromebook shipments successful the U.S.

Third-place Dell enjoyed the biggest maturation complaint with a summation of 26.7% and much than 15 cardinal PCs shipped. Apple's third-quarter summation was the 2nd champion with maturation of 14.4%, portion Acer saw its shipments emergence by 5.7%.

Gazing into 2022, vendors volition proceed to conflict to support up with demand. A ample information of orders are apt to spell unfilled during the 2021 vacation season, Dutt said. But PC vendors that tin diversify their accumulation and organisation and supply amended visibility into fulfilling orders volition beryllium amended capable to upwind the storm.

Plus, circumstantial opportunities beryllium for companies capable to capitalize connected them, according to Canalys Research Director Rushabh Doshi. The hybrid enactment situation volition necessitate vendors to outfit their products with faster processors, amended cameras and much ubiquitous connectivity.

"SMBs and enterprises are besides apt to absorption connected easiness of procurement, information and instrumentality absorption arsenic they determination to prolong these caller policies for the agelong term," Doshi said. "Adding to this, PC request is expected to beryllium robust from SMBs arsenic assorted industries contention to marque up for mislaid time, and user spending shifts onto categories that were different restricted during the lockdown, chiefly tourism and travel."