Growth streak for traditional PCs continues during holiday quarter

Worldwide shipments of traditional PCs (desktops, notebooks, and workstations) reached 92.7 million units during the fourth quarter of 2021 (4Q21), marking 1.0% growth over the same quarter in 2020, according to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

Total PC shipments during 2021 reached 348.8 million units, up 14.8% from 2020. This represents the highest level of shipments the PC market has seen since 2012.

"2021 has truly been a return to form for the PC," says Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC's Mobile and Consumer Device Trackers.

"Consumer need for PCs in emerging markets and global commercial demand remained strong during the quarter with supply being a gating factor," he says.

"While consumer and educational demand has tapered in some developed markets, we continue to believe the overall PC market has reset at a much higher level than before the pandemic."

Tom Mainelli, group vice president of IDC's Device and Consumer Research, says, "A challenging logistical environment, coupled with ongoing supply-side shortages, meant that the PC market could have been even larger than it was in 2021.

"We closed the year with many buyers still waiting for their PC orders to ship," he says.

"As we move through the first half of the year, we expect supply to remain constrained, especially with regards to the commercial segment where demand is the most robust."

Top 5 Companies, Worldwide Traditional PC Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q4 2021 (Preliminary results, shipments are in thousands of units)

Top 5 Companies, Worldwide Traditional PC Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, 2021 (Preliminary results, shipments are in thousands of units)