Global PC Shipments Rise 1.4% in Q4 2024
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Synopsis
According to a Gartner report, global PC shipments reached 64.4 million units in Q4 2024, marking a 1.4% growth from Q4 2023. Despite expectations for AI PC adoption, growth was modest due to economic uncertainties.
Key Takeaways
- Global PC shipments increased to 64.4 million units in Q4 2024.
- Yearly shipments totaled 245.3 million units, a 1.3% rise.
- High prices of AI PCs affected adoption.
- Regional performance varied, with China seeing a 12% drop.
- PC demand is expected to grow in 2025.
New Delhi, Jan 17 (NationPress) Global PC shipments hit 64.4 million units in the fourth quarter of 2024, reflecting a 1.4 percent increase compared to the same period in 2023, as reported by Gartner on Friday.
This represents the fifth consecutive quarter of consistent shipment growth. For the entire year, PC shipments totaled 245.3 million units in 2024, which is a 1.3 percent rise from 2023.
“Despite heightened expectations surrounding AI PC adoption and the anticipated Windows 11 refresh cycle, the global PC market exhibited only modest growth in the fourth quarter of 2024,” stated Ranjit Atwal, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner.
For consumers, the high cost of AI PCs deterred potential strong adoption, while economic uncertainties in regions like China and parts of Europe continued to suppress PC demand.
“We foresee PC demand increasing and the market experiencing robust growth in 2025, owing to postponed Windows 11 PC refresh demand and the growing business relevance of AI PCs as their use cases evolve,” Atwal added.
The performance results were mixed. HP Inc and Dell Technologies experienced slight declines, while all other vendors noted year-over-year growth. Lenovo continued its growth streak for the fifth consecutive quarter, achieving a 4.2 percent growth year-over-year.
The low demand in China significantly impacted PC growth in the Asia Pacific region, with the total PC market decreasing by 12 percent year-over-year in China.
Conversely, the rest of Asia Pacific, including Japan, performed substantially better in the fourth quarter of 2024, as businesses sought to utilize their year-end budgets and consumer PC promotions during the holiday season. Overall, while desktop shipments fell, laptop shipments remained flat year-over-year, according to the report.
