Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Grew 2.8% in Second Quarter of 2020

STAMFORD, Conn., July 9, 2020 — Worldwide PC shipments totaled 64.8 million units in the second quarter of 2020, a 2.8% increase from the second quarter of 2019, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. After a significant decline in the first quarter of the year due to COVID-19-related supply chain disruptions, the PC market returned to growth as vendors restocked their channels and mobile PC demand increased.

“The second quarter of 2020 represented a short-term recovery for the worldwide PC market, led by exceptionally strong growth in EMEA,” said Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner. “After the PC supply chain was severely disrupted in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the growth this quarter was due to distributors and retail channels restocking their supplies back to near-normal levels.

“Additionally, mobile PC growth was particularly strong, driven by several factors including business continuity for remote working, online education and consumers’ entertainment needs. However, this uptick in mobile PC demand will not continue beyond 2020, as shipments were mainly boosted by short-term business needs due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

In the second quarter of 2020, Lenovo and HP shared the number one position in the worldwide PC market, owing to HP’s strong growth in the quarter. They accounted for half of PC shipments in the second quarter of 2020, up from 46.6% in the second quarter of 2019 (see Table 1).

Table 1. Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q20 (Thousands of Units)

Notes: Data includes desk-based PCs, notebook PCs and ultramobile premiums (such as Microsoft Surface), but not Chromebooks or iPads. All data is estimated based on a preliminary study. Final estimates will be subject to change. The statistics are based on shipments selling into channels. Numbers may not add up to totals shown due to rounding.

Source: Gartner (July 2020)

Lenovo maintained its No. 1 position in the worldwide PC market alongside HP, with 4.2% year over year growth in worldwide shipments. This was the result of strong double-digit growth in EMEA and over 50% growth in mobile PC shipments.

After a significant decline in the first quarter of 2020 due to supply chain constraints, HP recorded strong year over year growth in the second quarter as it recovered from those supply chain issues. HP showed particularly strong growth in EMEA and the U.S., brought on by healthy consumer demand for PCs.

Dell’s worldwide shipments declined slightly in the second quarter of 2020, representing its first year over year decline since the first quarter of 2016. Dell’s shipments grew in EMEA and Japan but declined in all other regions, with the steepest drop in Latin America (20%). In many regions, Dell’s mobile PCs showed double digit growth, which was offset by a significant decline in shipments of deskbased PCs.

Regional Overview 

The U.S. PC market grew 3.5% year over year, registering its fifth consecutive quarter of growth. Double-digit mobile PC growth was offset by a 44% decline in deskbased PCs.

“Strong mobile PC demand in the U.S. was driven by shelter in place rules enforced as a response to the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Ms. Kitagawa. “While some states eased restrictions during the second quarter of 2020, many businesses continued to prepare for a potential resurgence of the virus, resulting in strong demand for mobile PCs as a precautionary measure.”

PC shipments in EMEA rose 20% in the second quarter of 2020, representing the strongest growth in this region in over 10 years. The exceptionally strong market demand was driven by the requirement for remote work and online education due to COVID-19, as well as a boom in consumer demand and increased vendor supply to the region as channels depleted during the first quarter of the year were restocked.

The Asia/Pacific market declined 8.1% year over year in the second quarter. While the consumer PC market was strong, driven by both replacement and first-time purchases to address stay at home requirements, the business market was weak, reflecting demand challenges and budget constraints in certain verticals, such as government and education. 

Learn more about how to lead organizations through the disruption of coronavirus in the Gartner coronavirus resource center, a collection of complimentary Gartner research and webinars to help organizations respond, manage and prepare for the rapid spread and global impact of COVID-19.

These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner’s PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe.

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