Global PC shipments decline 1.3% in Q3, recovery expected by late 2024

The global PC market faced a minor decline in the third quarter of 2024, with shipments dropping by 1.3% to 62.9 million units compared to the same period last year. This downturn comes after three consecutive quarters of year-on-year growth.

Mikako Kitagawa, Director Analyst at Gartner, pointed to several reasons for the decline. "Despite the availability of Windows-based AI PCs for both Arm and x86, these devices have not yet generated significant demand," she said. "Buyers are still waiting to see clear demonstrations of their benefits and business value."

Kitagawa also mentioned that the expected increase in demand for Windows PC upgrades, driven by the upcoming end of Windows 10 support in 2025, did not fully materialize in the third quarter due to economic challenges in some regions.

However, Gartner remains optimistic about the PC market's future. "The overall trajectory is still on a recovery path," Kitagawa stated. "We anticipate a pickup in demand towards the end of 2024 and stronger growth in 2025 as the PC refresh cycle peaks."

Vendor and Regional Performance

The top four vendors—Lenovo, HP Inc., Apple, and Acer—maintained their positions from the previous year, all experiencing year-over-year growth. In contrast, Dell and ASUS saw a decline in shipments.

United States

The U.S. market defied the global trend, growing by 5.6% with over 17 million PCs shipped. This growth was driven by stable macroeconomic conditions and strong demand from the public and education sectors.

Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA)

The EMEA region saw its first decline after three quarters of growth, with shipments decreasing by 1.5%. This was due to temporary factors such as political elections and major sporting events.

Asia-Pacific

The Asia-Pacific market experienced an 8.5% decline, largely due to continued weakness in China, where shipments fell by 10% because of reduced demand from government and state-owned enterprises.

Japan

Japan, however, recorded its first double-digit year-over-year growth in PC shipments in three years, driven by businesses preparing for the Windows 10 end-of-support deadline.

Outlook

Despite the slight downturn in global PC shipments in the third quarter of 2024, industry analysts are optimistic about the market's long-term recovery and growth prospects.