Sales of personal computers grew strongly in 2021. According to preliminary data from IDC, total shipments reached 348 million units, highest value since 2012 after growing almost 15% year-on-year.
The PC industry managed to maintain in 2021 the growth trend that began when the confinements due to the COVID pandemic required an increase in infrastructure for work at home, online study and home entertainment tasks. It is clear that the PC was neither dead nor will it die, it is irreplaceable for multiple tasks and it cannot be replaced by mobiles and tablets, as the omens of some “experts” said.
And that the sale of computers could have been higher if it were not for the component shortage that has the technology industry strangled. «A challenging logistics environment, coupled with continued supply-side shortages, meant that the PC market could have been even bigger than in 2021«, They explain from IDC.
“We closed the year with many buyers still waiting for their PC orders to ship. As we move into the first half of the year, we expect supply to remain restricted, especially in the commercial segment where demand is strongest. “, they say from the consultancy, pointing out that the positive trend will continue:
Sale of computers by manufacturers
IDC adds desktops, laptops, and workstations to this list, but leaves out ‘2-in-1’ tablet-like models like Surface Pro, so the sum could be higher. In the totals, the year-on-year growth of 14.8 percent to 348.8 million units stands out, the highest figure in 2012.
All the big manufacturers grew. Lenovo continues to lead with a 23% market share, closely followed by HP and something more delayed a Dell that completes the podium.
Although far from the top three with a market share of 8%, Manzana It was the manufacturer that grew the most in 2021 with a year-on-year increase of 22%. It seems that the most profitable technology on the planet has done well with the big change in architecture from x86 to ARM chips and remains a key vendor. Acer Complete the top five chart.
IDC believes that the sale of computers will continue to trend positive in 2022: although not in all regions. «Consumer need for PCs in emerging markets and global business demand remain strong. TOAlthough consumer and educational demand has declined in some developed markets, we continue to believe that the overall PC market has reestablished itself to a much higher level than before the pandemic.«. However, serious chip manufacturing and supply problems will have to be solved.
