RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Worldwide PC sales “collapsed” in the fourth quarter of 2022, says research firm Garnter as a contagion it says was triggered by global economic uncertainty pounded every major manufacturer.
Global leader Lenovo, which employs thousands of people in N.C. including at its campus in the Triangle, is still ranked No. 1 in terms of market share at 24%. But it is the leader in a market that fell by a whopping 28.5%.
“This marks the largest quarterly shipment decline since Gartner began tracking the PC market in the mid-1990s,” Gartner says in its latest quarterly PC industry report.
For the year, sales were down 16% from 2021.
Similar numbers were reported by Gartner competitor IDC in its update.
“The anticipation of a global recession, increased inflation and higher interest rates have had a major impact on PC demand,” said Mikako Kitagawa, Director Analyst at Gartner, in a statrement. “Since many consumers already have relatively new PCs that were purchased during the pandemic, a lack of affordability is superseding any motivation to buy, causing consumer PC demand to drop to its lowest level in years.
Lenovo shipments plunged nearly 29% to 15.6 million units.
“While Lenovo maintained 24% market share, the company experienced its steepest decline since Gartner started tracking the PC market. Lenovo’s shipments fell in all regions except in Japan, declining over 30% in EMEA and Latin America,” Gartner reported.
Competitors HP (-29%) and Dell (-37%) suffered even more.
In fact, HP is now the top seller in the U.S. market, surpassing Dell.
Apple also suffered but its decline was much smaller at 10%. It now ranks No. 3 in the U.S. market ahead of Lenovo.
The U.S. market has declined for six consecutive quarters, Gartner noted.
The numbers
Table 1. Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 4Q22 (Thousands of Units)
| Company | 4Q22 Shipments | 4Q22 Market Share (%) | 4Q21 Shipments | 4Q21 Market Share (%) | 4Q22-4Q21 Growth (%) |
| Lenovo | 15,663 | 24.0 | 21,933 | 24.0 | -28.6 |
| HP Inc. | 13,216 | 20.2 | 18,646 | 20.4 | -29.1 |
| Dell | 10,884 | 16.7 | 17,280 | 18.9 | -37.0 |
| Apple | 7,011 | 10.7 | 7,807 | 8.6 | -10.2 |
| ASUS | 4,876 | 7.5 | 6,078 | 6.7 | -19.8 |
| Acer | 3,589 | 5.5 | 6,104 | 6.7 | -41.2 |
| Others | 10,051 | 15.4 | 13,447 | 14.7 | -25.3 |
| Total | 65,292 | 100.0 | 91,296 | 100.0 | -28.5 |
Notes: Data includes desktop and laptop PCs that are equipped with Windows, macOS and Chrome OS. All data is estimated based on a preliminary study. Final estimates will be subject to change. The statistics are based on shipments selling into channels. Numbers may not add up to totals shown due to rounding.
Source: Gartner (January 2023)
