Gartner: Global PC shipments fell 9% in the third quarter of 2023

After eight consecutive quarters of decline, the PC market is expected to start recovering in the fourth quarter of 2023

October 13, 2023 - Gartner's preliminary statistics show that the global personal computer (PC) market shipped 64.3 million units in the third quarter of 2023, a 9% decrease from the third quarter of 2022. While third-quarter results indicate the global PC market has declined for the eighth consecutive quarter, Gartner expects the market to return to growth starting in the fourth quarter of this year.

Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner, said: "There is evidence that the decline in the PC market has finally bottomed out. While seasonal demand in the education market drove shipments in the third quarter, some of this growth was offset by still weak enterprise PC demand. "Manufacturers have also made continued progress in destocking PCs, and as long as holiday sales do not collapse, inventories are expected to return to normal by the end of 2023."

The top manufacturers in the global PC market remained unchanged in the third quarter of 2023, with Lenovo continuing to rank first in shipments with a market share of 25.1% (see Table 1).

Table 1. Preliminary estimates of unit shipments of global PC manufacturers in the third quarter of 2023 (unit: thousand units)

Note: The above data includes desktop computers and laptops equipped with Windows, macOS and Chrome OS. All values ​​are based on preliminary research results and final estimates are subject to change. This statistic is based on sales to channel shipments. Because values ​​have been rounded, they may not add up to the total.

Source: Gartner (October 2023)

Lenovo's shipments fell again from the same period last year, but the decline slowed to single digits. HP, meanwhile, was the only vendor to post year-over-year growth, with shipments rising in all regions. Dell, which mainly focuses on the enterprise PC market, has experienced a decline in shipments for the sixth consecutive quarter due to weak demand for enterprise PCs.

Apple's shipments fell sharply from the same period last year, in part because Apple's shipments increased significantly in the third quarter of 2022 after supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 epidemic in China eased in early 2022. Apple's shipments in the third quarter of 2023 followed seasonal trends driven primarily by demand from students and educators.

Kitagawa said: "The good news for PC manufacturers is that the worst case scenario may be over by the end of 2023. Driven by Windows 11 upgrades, the commercial PC market is ushering in the next replacement cycle. With PCs purchased during the epidemic We are entering the early stages of the replacement cycle, and demand for consumer PCs should also begin to recover.”

Gartner predicts that the global PC market will grow by 4.9% in 2024, with both the enterprise and consumer PC markets expected to grow.

Region overview

The U.S. PC market fell by 9.3% in the third quarter of 2023 (see Table 2).

Table 2. Preliminary estimates of unit shipments of U.S. PC manufacturers in the third quarter of 2023 (unit: thousand units)

The main reason for the decline in the US market is weak demand for enterprise PCs. However, some of the decline was offset by growth in Chromebooks driven by replacement demand in K-12 educational institutions.

The PC market in Europe, the Middle East and Africa fell by 3.6% compared with the same period last year. Ongoing political turmoil, inflationary pressures and interest rate hikes have caused PC demand to fall to new lows, but the decline this quarter was smaller than in the previous two quarters.

Kitagawa said: "Enterprise organizations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa are still adjusting to changes in the business outlook and incorporating PC budget cuts into cost management strategies, which has limited corporate PC spending. At the same time, due to all revenue All sectors are affected by inflationary pressures and interest rates, and consumer demand in these areas remains subdued."

The PC market in the Asia-Pacific region fell by 13% year-on-year, with the decline in the Chinese market reaching 20%. Consumer PC spending in China remains weak due to unemployment issues, while corporate PC demand has also slowed due to government spending cuts.

In order to encourage the development of local manufacturing, India’s Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) announced new restrictions on the import of some equipment in August 2023. While the initial announcement caused minor confusion, forcing some manufacturers to halt imports, India quickly revised the announcement, extending the deadline to November 2023, and import levels returned to normal. Now, the decision to impose restrictions has been postponed to October 2024, which means that the impact on the Indian PC market will be minimal for the rest of the year.

The above are only preliminary results. Clients of Gartner's global regional PC quarterly statistics service will soon be able to obtain final statistics. Gartner's global regional PC quarterly statistical service provides timely and comprehensive global PC market information to help product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations keep abreast of major events and their impact on future global trends.