In the fourth quarter of last year, global PC shipments totaled 64.4 million units, an increase of 1.4% compared to the same period the previous year. Although higher sales growth was anticipated with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) PCs, analysts noted that the growth margin was limited due to high prices.
According to a report by market research firm Gartner on the 22nd, the annual PC shipments last year reached 245.4 million units, marking a 1.3% increase compared to 2023. This marks five consecutive quarters of growth.
Ranjit Atwal, a senior director analyst at Gartner, said, "Despite growing expectations for the adoption of AI PCs and increased demand for Windows 11 PC replacements, the global PC market saw only modest growth in the last quarter. Consumers hesitated to purchase AI PCs due to high prices, and economic uncertainty in regions such as China and parts of Europe continued to hinder the growth of the PC market."
He further projected that as the timing for Windows 11 PC replacements approaches and the use cases for AI PCs become abundant, the business value will increase, leading to a recovery in PC demand and solid growth in the market this year.
According to Gartner's announcement, the ranking of the top six suppliers in the last quarter remained unchanged from the previous year, but the performance showed mixed results. Lenovo, Apple, Asus, and Acer recorded growth compared to the previous year, while HP and Dell showed slight declines.
Lenovo achieved a growth rate of 4.2% year-on-year, continuing its growth for five consecutive quarters. Growth in Japan and the Americas offset weaknesses in the Asia-Pacific and Canadian markets.
Other suppliers showed mixed results. HP transitioned from five consecutive quarters of growth to a downturn, while Dell recorded a decrease of 0.1% year-on-year, marking another slight decline.