The worldwide PC market had a healthy start to 2024, with total shipments of desktops and notebooks growing 3.2% annually to 57.2m units in Q1 2024, according to analyst house Canalys.
Notebook shipments (including mobile workstations) were up 4.2% to 45.1m units, while desktop shipments (including desktop workstations) were relatively flat, down just 0.4% at 12.1m units. Though modest, this overall growth highlights the “ongoing recovery” in PC demand across all segments, said the analyst, with purchases set to “accelerate” throughout the year, supported by the tailwinds of the Windows 11 refresh and AI-capable PCs.
“Growth in the first quarter of 2024 bodes well for a strong PC market throughout the year,” said Ishan Dutt, principal analyst at Canalys. “Vendors and the channel have been working through some final stages of inventory corrections, and macroeconomic conditions in certain markets continue to limit demand. But the strength of the refresh opportunity, particularly from businesses, is beginning to come to the fore.”
Lenovo led the PC market in Q1 2024, with a 24% market share, delivering “strong growth” of 8%, and shipping 13.7m notebooks and desktops. Second-placed HP posted a “flat performance”, shipping 12m units. Dell secured third place, but suffered a minor shipment decline of 2% year-on-year. Apple took fourth place in the vendor rankings with growth of 2.5%, boosted by the launch of new MacBook Air products late in the quarter.
