PCs Buck Downward Trend, Inch Negligibly Upward in 1Q

Shipments of PCs have inched upward. According to International Data Corp., sales of desktops, notebooks and workstations worldwide totaled 60 million units in the first quarter of 2017, reflecting a year-over-year growth rate in that period of 0.6 percent. While IDC acknowledged that a sub-percentage point increase "was arguably flat," the IT market research firm said it was still noteworthy for being the first sign of expansion for PC sales in five years. IDC originally forecast that shipments would fall by 1.8 percent for the quarter. In fact, the last time growth was recorded was 2012, an era when "many users still considered PCs their first computing device."

The estimates come from IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker and don't cover shipments of tablets or x86 servers.

"The traditional PC market has been through a tough phase, with competition from tablets and smartphones as well as lengthening lifecycles pushing PC shipments down roughly 30 percent from a peak in 2011," said Research Manager Jay Chou, in a prepared statement. While consumer demand for PCs "will remain under pressure," (except for the gaming market), he added, the commercial market is waking up and "beginning a replacement cycle" that's expected to push growth.

In the United States, overall PC shipments for the first quarter tallied 13.3 million units. That's a drop year-over-year, attributed to a slump in notebook sales. While consumer sales especially slowed down domestically, the commercial PC market was bolstered by the growth of Chromebook sales.

During the quarter, HP regained the top spot from Lenovo, experiencing "strong" sales with a "deep portfolio" across all worldwide regions. Shipments for HP were 13.1 million for 1Q17 compared to 11.6 million in 1Q16.

In the U.S. Lenovo had its first decline (4.2 percent) since the third quarter of 2009. Worldwide, the company shipped 12.3 million units in 1Q17 compared to 12.1 million units in 1Q16.

Dell came in third, with 6.2 percent growth year-over-year with "strong notebook volume." Dell shipped 9.6 million PCs in the latest quarter vs. 9 million last year during the same period.

Apple grew 4.1 percent in this quarter from 2016 and retained the fourth position. IDC said Apple shipments for 1Q17 were 4.2 million compared to 4.036 million in 1Q16.

Acer, in fifth place, grew 2.9 percent, in part, the market intelligence firm reported, "due to better comparisons against a challenging 1Q16." While Acer sold 4.121 million units in 1Q17, it sold 4.006 million in 1Q16.

Other companies sold a total of 17 million PCs during the latest quarter, according to IDC.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

Featured

  • AI toolbox containing a wrench, document icon, gears, and a network symbol

    Common Sense Media Releases Free AI Toolkit, AI Readiness & Implementation Guides

    Common Sense Media has developed an AI Toolkit for School Districts, available to educators free of charge, that provides guidelines and resources for implementing AI in education.

  • elementary school building with children outside, overlaid by a glowing data network and transparent graphs

    Toward a Holistic Approach to Data-Informed Decision-Making in Education

    With increasing access to data and powerful analytic tools, the temptation to reduce educational outcomes to mere numbers is strong. However, educational leadership demands a more holistic and thoughtful approach.

  • three silhouetted education technology leaders with thought bubbles containing AI-related icons

    Ed Tech Leaders Rank Generative AI as Top Tech Priority

    In a recent CoSN survey, an overwhelming majority of ed tech leaders (94%) said they see AI as having a positive impact on education. Respondents ranked generative AI as their top tech priority, with 80% reporting their districts have gen AI initiatives underway, or plan to in the current school year.

  • AI-powered individual working calmly on one side and a burnt-out person slumped over a laptop on the other

    AI's Productivity Gains Come at a Cost

    A recent academic study found that as companies adopt AI tools, they're not just streamlining workflows — they're piling on new demands. Researchers determined that "AI technostress" is driving burnout and disrupting personal lives, even as organizations hail productivity gains.