According to a report released by data tracking agency IDC on Wednesday, global personal computer (PC) shipments in 2021 increased by 14.8% year-on-year to 349 million units, a new high since 2012 and rebounded 34% from a 2017 low.
The data also shows that in the fourth quarter of last year, global PC shipments increased by 1% year-on-year to 92.7 million units.
According to IDC, the top five PC companies in 2021 are: Lenovo,100 units, which increased shipments by 14.1% to 81.9 million units; HP, with annual shipments of 9.3% to 74.1 million units; Dell, with annual shipments of 17.9% to 59.3 million units; Apple, with annual shipments of 22.1% to 27.8 million units; acer, with annual shipments of 14% to 23.9 million units.
Another major beneficiary of the PC boom is Microsoft, which sells the Windows operating system for the vast majority of computers. While the software giant has shifted its focus to cloud services like Azure in recent years, Windows remains a sizable business, with sales of $5.68 billion in the third quarter of last year, up 10 percent from a year earlier.
This recovery in the PC industry is particularly noteworthy because as early as a few years ago, as smartphones became the highest-selling product in the electronics industry, technology investors and operators have seen the PC industry as an area that is bound to decline.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand for computers heated up with the rise of remote work and learning, driving a resurgence in the PC industry. The surge in PC demand in 2021 also led to stock-outs for a time, especially in the fall, when a global chip shortage limited PC supply.
Where does the PC market go from here?
In response to the future direction of the PC market, some market participants warned that after the epidemic dissipated, PC sales growth will not be sustainable. Last December, IDC said market demand had peaked and expected growth to slow this year.
But there is no shortage of optimistic market players who believe that PC sales will maintain the current growth momentum.
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said in an interview last October that he believes the PC market is on a new, sustainable path. Intel is a leading manufacturer of cpuing processors for desktops and notebook computers, with a market share of about 80 percent.
Rahul Tikoo, senior vice president of Dell's Customer Products Group, is equally optimistic, saying the pandemic has driven a permanent shift in buying behavior as everyone now needs their own personal computer.
"We're going to move from one PC per household to one PC per person, which is similar to the smartphone model." He said.