The sale of computer equipment is going down, this is something that is not a secret for those who follow the sector. However, the percentage with which it has been affected lfor sale of laptops is much higher than expected. How have the different manufacturers been affected and what are the consequences in the sector?
A common tactic by manufacturers in times of lean times is to focus on the high ranges and abandon the lower ones. This is due to the drop in the level of consumption by the most modest pockets and the increase in costs. In the end, manufacturers seek to have positive balances, even if it is based on reducing the level of sales or temporarily cutting market share and with it their future offer.
The sale of laptops decreases by 22%
The analysis firm Canalys has carried out a market study where a discouraging panorama is presented in terms of laptop sales and that could slow down the road maps. What’s more, we know that some other manufacturer has canceled products in the short and medium term due to the fact that the stock does not finish emptying at the expected speed. And it is that the planning in the launch of new devices is very important, since they can conflict with other existing ones.
The big problem is that you cannot sell a lower product at the same price, which forces you to cut it and with it the profits. That is why manufacturers of any type of computing device first try to sell as much of what exists as possible. What is the bad news? Well, things like the fact that the sale of laptops has dropped 22% from one year to the next if we compare the figures for the third quarter of 2021 with that of the same period in 2022. Specifically, and broken down by manufacturer, it can be seen as the only company that has grown from one year to the next has been Apple.
| Maker | Shipments in Q3 2021 | Shipments in Q3 2022 | Annual growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manzana | 1.9 million | 2.3 million | 20.4% |
| ASUS | 1.2 million | 0.9 million | -24.4% |
| Dell | 2.3 million | 1.9 million | -18.9% |
| HP | 4.4 million | 2.7 million | -36.9% |
| Lenovo | 4.1 million | 3.1 million | -24.1% |
It is necessary to highlight the hard blow in sales that Hewlett Packard has suffered, which has been one of the reasons for announcing layoff plans for 6,000 workers of the multinational. In general, the sector is not going through its best moment and this not only affects workers, but also future product lines, not announced, but which have been discreetly cancelled.
Gaming PCs remain stable in Europe
At the same time, and as usually happens in times of recession, the sale of low-cost equipment ends up being the most affected of all. Taking the information from the United Kingdom, France and Germany, it can be seen that as the only sector that has not suffered worse sales globally in all of Europe are Gaming PCs for more than €1000, which have seen a rise of 6 %. However, if we talk about systems below 500 euros, then we will see that their sales drop is half.
The reason for this is simple, the increase in the cost of hardware has reduced the supply of computers below that price and these are not good enough to meet the needs of users. It is no longer a matter of crisis, it is that the low-end of home PCs has been moving for a long time to a much higher price segment.
