PC shipments dropped 5.1% in Q1 2022 but still exceeded forecasts
PC shipments appear to be returning to normal after two years of historically high growth.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
What you need to know
Shipments of PCs fell by 5.1% in the first quarter of 2022 compared to Q1 2021. Those figures, which comevia IDC, include desktops, notebooks, and workstations. While growth fell, 80.5 million PCs shipped in Q1 2022, which is considered a strong figure.
“The focus shouldn’t be on the year-over-year decline in PC volumes because that was to be expected,” said Group President with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers Ryan Reith. “The focus should be on the PC industry managing to ship more than 80 million PCs at a time when logistics and supply chain are still a mess, accompanied by numerous geopolitical and pandemic-related challenges.”
Reith noted that while education and consumer demands for PCs have dipped that consumer PCs continue to be in demand.
Total PC shipments fell year-over-year, but Dell, Apple, and ASUS saw growth during that time period. The below figures are scaled in terms of thousands of units.
Another piece of evidence that the PC market is strong is the fact that manufacturers frequently make thebest Windows laptopsover Chromebooks whenforced to choose.
“Supply has also been unusually tight for Chromebooks as component shortages have led vendors to prioritize Windows machines due to their higher price tags, further suppressing Chromebook shipments on a global scale,” said Jitesh Ubrani, a research manager for IDC’s Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers team in previousIDC report.
A record-breaking341 million PCs shipped in 2021, so it was expected that growth figures would slow down.
Get the Windows Central Newsletter
All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
