PC sales fall off a cliff as work-from-home boom fades, recession looms

Photo / 123rf

PC shipments fell by a third over the final quarter of 2022, according to figures released this week by IDC.

Computer sales rose from the dead over 2020 and 2021 to hit record levels as people upgraded home offices as Covid sparked a remote-schooling and remote-working boom.

Now, “It is clear the pandemic boom is over for the PC market,” IDC said in its quarterly tracking report.”

The market researcher sees people sitting on their current computer for a while as inflation and recession fears fuel a new frugality.

Source: IDC Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, January 10, 2023

“Despite recent declines, annual shipments for 2022 were well above pre-pandemic levels at 292.3 million units for the full year. However, demand remains a concern as most users have relatively new PCs and the global economy worsens.”

Only Apple, whose shipments slipped a modest 2.1 per cent, bucked the trend.

Lenovo continued to top the charts overall, thanks to its strong performance in its home market of China, but was fourth in the key US market behind American firms HP, Dell and Apple.

The fourth-quarter fall was the second quarter of slumping sales, after a 15 per cent decline in the third quarter.

Average selling prices have fallen as lower demand has eased component shortages, and PC makers have offered discounts in a bid to spur demand.

IDC sees a possible pickup later this year, and a possible return to growth in 2024.