The surge in PC demand, which started amid the pandemic last year, continued through 2Q2021. According to research firm IDC, global shipments increased by 13.2% y-o-y to 83.6 million units.
The volume was able to grow despite global component shortages and logistics issues. Having said so, IDC notes that the component shortages had possibly crimped the shipment numbers for notebook computers, causing, as a result, growth of desktop computers taking place at a faster pace than notebook computers.
"The PC market's hot streak continued to drive heavy investments from the supply side including the entry of new vendors as well as additional spend from underdogs," says Jitesh Ubrani research manager for IDC's Mobile and Consumer Device Trackers.
"And while the top 5 continue to drive volume, the smaller vendors have helped drive growth by offering unique features or niche designs,” he adds.
According to IDC, Lenovo held on to the top spot in 2Q2021 with a market share of 23.9%. HP Inc was a close runner at 22.2%; Dell Technologies third largest with 16.7% and Apple and Acer were at 7.4% and 7.3% respectively. The remaining players such as Fujitsu, Asus, Huawei and so on, held the remaining 22.5%.
See also: Worldwide server market grew by 12% y-o-y in 1Q2021
However, IDC also notes that growth has tapered off. The 13.2% y-o-y growth rate achieved in 2Q2021 was far lower 55.9% y-o-y growth managed in 1Q21 and 25.8% y-o-y growth in the preceding 4Q2020.
"The market faces mixed signals as far as demand is concerned," said Neha Mahajan, senior research analyst with IDC’s Devices and Displays Group.
"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."
