The worldwide PC market had a healthy start to 2024, with total shipments of desktops and notebooks growing 3.2% annually to 57.2 million units in Q1 2024, reports market researcher Canalys.
Notebook shipments (including mobile workstations) were up 4.2% to 45.1 million units, while desktop shipments (including desktop workstations) were relatively flat, down just 0.4% at 12.1 million units. Though modest, this growth highlights the ongoing recovery in PC demand across all segments, with purchases set to accelerate throughout the year, supported by the tailwinds of Windows 11 refresh and AI-capable PCs.
“Growth in the first quarter of 2024 bodes well for a strong PC market throughout the year,” said Ishan Dutt, Principal Analyst at Canalys. “Vendors and the channel have been working through some final stages of inventory corrections, and macroeconomic conditions in certain markets continue to limit demand. But the strength of the refresh opportunity, particularly from businesses, is beginning to come to the fore. The market is set to go from strength to strength in the coming quarters as customers prioritize upgrades in preparation for a large-scale transition to Windows 11. The current PC installed base is larger and older than ever, presenting a huge opportunity for OEMs and their partners. The wider introduction of AI-capable PCs in the second half of the year will also give the market a boost, delivering much-needed innovation and a compelling value proposition to users who have held off on buying new PCs during the post-pandemic downturn.” Canalys forecasts that nearly 50 million PCs shipped in 2024 will be AI-capable, integrating a dedicated AI accelerator such as an NPU.
Lenovo led the PC market in Q1 2024 with a 24% market share, delivering strong growth of 8% and shipping 13.7 million notebooks and desktops. Second-placed HP posted a flat performance, shipping 12.0 million units. Dell secured third place but suffered a minor shipment decline of 2% year on year. Apple took fourth place in the vendor rankings with growth of 2.5%, boosted by the launch of new MacBook Air products late in the quarter. Acer rounded out the top five vendors with 3.7 million PCs shipped.
