PC shipments dropped by 12% in the first quarter of 2020: Gartner

Gartner's new PC market research reports shows that it has shrunk by 12.3% worldwide in 1Q2020 compared to 1Q2019 (or year-on-year (YoY)). The analyst group has noted that orders for devices of this category (defined as a combination of desktops, notebooks, ultrabooks and convertibles but not tablets or Chromebooks) have seen a short-term spike as workers and consumers adapt to Covid-19 lockdown or quarantine measures; however, OEMs cannot currently deal with this level of demand.

Therefore, actual PC popularity may not have seen a negative effect; either way, it has not translated into market growth for the companies in question at this time. On that note, Lenovo still occupies the #1 spot in this market in terms of share. However, its shipments have declined 3.2% worldwide and 22.6% in its native Asia-Pacific region YoY in 1Q2020.

Of the remaining PC OEMs who make up the top 6 globally (HP, Dell, Apple, Acer and Asus, in that order), they also exhibited YoY declines, with the exception of the #3-ranked manufacturer at +2.2%. In the US, the same company took the #1 spot from HP in 1Q2020. This market was found to have grown, albeit by only 0.8%, in this quarter compared to 1Q2019 - however, Gartner also notes that its actual shipments fell by 30.2% YoY.