By According to International Data Corp, global personal computer (PC) sales showed signs of recovery in the third quarter of this year, with a 7.6% decline compared to the same period last year. However, the quarter also saw sequential increases, indicating a positive shift in the market.
The third-quarter shipments reached 68.2 million units, surpassing the second quarter’s 61.6 million and the first quarter’s 56.9 million units.
IDC has observed a significant improvement in PC sales-channel inventory over the past few months, stating that it has become leaner and nearly healthy. Nevertheless, there continues to be downward pressure on pricing, which may present challenges in the consumer and business sectors.
During the quarter, Lenovo emerged as the market leader, shipping 16 million units—an approximately 5% decrease from the previous year. HP also demonstrated positive growth, delivering 13.5 million PCs, a 6.4% increase compared to last year. The recovery in HP’s performance can be attributed to the normalization of inventory. Conversely, Dell Technologies reported a decline of 14.3%, shipping 10.3 million units in the quarter.
In contrast, Apple experienced a substantial drop in Mac shipments with only 7.2 million units sold—representing a decline of 23.1%. The steep decline can be attributed to a challenging comparison against the same quarter last year when Mac sales were significantly boosted due to production issues in the second quarter of 2022. At Apple’s June quarter earnings call, Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri had anticipated double-digit declines in both Mac and iPad sales for the September quarter.
In summary, while global PC sales faced some challenges during Q3, there are positive indications of recovery as sequential increases occurred. The PC market has shown resilience, and with leaner inventory, it is poised for further growth. However, pricing pressures persist, particularly within the consumer and business sectors.
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