Global PC shipments hit 84 million units in Q3 despite supply crunch

Despite continued component shortages and other supply constraints, global PC shipments marked their sixth consecutive year-over-year growth in the third quarter of 2021 to 84.2 million units, according to the firm Counterpoint Market Research Thursday.

However, the 9.3% year-on-year growth in the quarter implied a deceleration in the momentum of PC shipments after four consecutive quarters of double-digit year-on-year growth since the third quarter of 2020.

In addition, most OEMs and ODMs do not see a reduction in the gap between orders (demand) and shipments (supply).

“In the third quarter of 2021, the global PC supply chain remained constrained due to component shortages related to power management ICs, radio frequency, audio codec and others. site closures in Southeast Asia and China add further uncertainty to PC supplies, ”said William Li, research analyst in the Semiconductors and Components team.

Demand for PCs remained strong during the quarter. The demand for commercial PCs is gradually increasing as the momentum for consumer PCs slows. Chromebook turned out to be the biggest drag in the quarter, as government and education orders were largely filled in the first half of the year, in addition to the increasing availability of COVID19 vaccines and the reopening of offices and facilities. schools around the world.

Lenovo again took the top spot in the third quarter with a 23.9% market share after shipping 20.1 million units, slightly above the second quarter figure, mainly due to its operational flexibility. HP’s 20.5% share and 6% year-over-year decline was largely due to the slowdown in Chromebooks as well as component shortages.

Dell saw 30% year-over-year growth in the third quarter due to a relatively weaker base and focus on commercial / premium products. Apple’s shipments were up 11% year-over-year in the third quarter of 2021, thanks to replacement demand for the Mac M1. Asus shipments were driven by the consumer and commercial segments. The brand took fifth place in the third quarter, beating Acer, which saw 3% year-over-year growth due to the Chromebook slowdown.

(With IANS entries)

Posted on: Thursday October 21, 2021 3:01 PM IST