There was a slight decrease in global PC shipments in Q3 2024 compared to Q3 2023, where Apple was the most affected company.
The worldwide shipments for PC hardware declined by 2.4% Y-o-Y but are expected to increase with AI hardware demand
The global PC shipments are forecasted to grow significantly in the coming years but as of now, the overall shipments have declined a bit compared to the previous year. Since the transition to AI hardware, it's expected that the PC market will see a boom in the coming months and the slight decrease in shipments is only temporary.
The International Data Corporation (IDC) has published the latest stats for total PC shipments worldwide in the third quarter of 2024. Compared to the 3rd quarter of 2023, global PC shipments have declined by 2.4%. The total PC shipments decreased to 68.8 million in Q32024 compared to 70.5 million in Q32023.
What we can see is that PC makers like Lenovo, HP, and Dell have maintained their market share, which is the highest among all the companies. Dell Technologies share did decline by 4%, which has its market share dropped to under 10%. But Apple took the biggest decline of 24.2%, reducing its total PC shipment from 7 million to 5.3 million in 3Q2024.
Meanwhile, ASUS saw the highest growth of 10% market share, delivering an increase of roughly 0.5 million shipments in 3Q2024 compared to 3Q2023. The overall shipments, although declined by a few million units, the AI hardware demand is expected to introduce a surge in both shipments and revenue.
The AI PC shipments already increased by 2x from 1Q2024 to 2Q2024, and in the coming years, the Microsoft Copilot+ AI laptop shipments are forecast to grow exponentially. This is what experts predict and as per Jitesh Ubrani, who is the research manager at IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers, the AI PCs and Apple's M4-based devices are expected to boost the premium segment in the coming months. He said,
Demand, without a doubt, has returned for PCs among consumers and commercial buyers,
However, much of the demand was still concentrated at the entry-level thanks to a recovering economy and the back-to-school season in North America. That said, newer AI PCs such as Copilot+ PCs from Qualcomm along with Intel and AMD's equivalent chips as well as Apple's expected M4-based Macs are expected to drive the premium segment in coming months.
The growth will be gradual, at least up to 2026 as per Linn Huang, the research VP of Devices and Displays. According to Linn,
While we expect AI to reach ubiquity at some point at the end of this decade, the ramp up towards mass market will take longer than expected, well into 2026,
Japan saw the biggest increase in PC shipments in 3Q2024 but other regions will also see such an increase in the coming quarters. At the moment, the demand is concentrated mostly in the entry-level segment but the commercial demand is also increasing since many PC makers are preparing their devices as Windows 10 is about to reach the end of its life.
About the author: Sarfraz Khan is a hardware reporter with a focus on PC components and the builder community. With years of experience writing about PC hardware and laptops, his work has been featured on several reputable technology publications. Sarfraz's hands-on experience is demonstrated through his first-person accounts of using and comparing different hardware configurations, providing practical and relatable insights for everyday users. His technical analysis is respected by peers in the enthusiast community and has been cited by specialized hardware sites such as Germany's Igor's Lab.
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