Because of the pandemic, many companies are using telework (and some people may even continue to work at home after the crisis). And as you would expect, it has boosted computer sales around the world. While we are used to seeing declines in PC sales (and increases in smartphone sales), in the second quarter, IDC and Gartner report that computer shipments increased during this period.
Gartner mentions a total of 64.8 million units, an increase of 2.8% compared to the second quarter of 2019. IDC, for its part, indicates that the total shipments would have reached 72.3 million units during the second quarter, which would correspond to an 11.2% year-on-year increase. In either case, both reports cite telework and distance education as one of the reasons for the increase in computer shipments.
Short-term changes?
“The second quarter of 2020 represented a short-term recovery for the global PC market, driven by exceptionally strong growth in the EMEA region”said Mikako Kitagawa, director of research at Gartner. “After the PC supply chain was severely disrupted in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, part of the growth this quarter was due to distributors and retail channels that replenished their supplies at almost normal levels. In addition, the growth of mobile PCs has been particularly strong, driven by several factors, including business continuity for remote work, online education and consumer entertainment needs. “
Mikako Kitagawa warns, however, that this increase in laptop sales is not expected to continue in the long term, since it only meets short-term business needs. For his part, Jitesh Ubrani director of research for Mobile Device Trackers at IDC, wonders if this momentum will continue after July, as the world enters a recession.
Otherwise, we will also note that just before the pandemic, PC sales were quite good, thanks to the end of support for Windows 7 by Microsoft, which forced many companies to buy machines compatible with Windows 10.
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