PC sales show strong positive signals as effects of the pandemic keep dominating the social and professional life. The confinements experienced in many countries of the world resulted in the need to work from home have. This led to the sale of personal computers to soar. A trend that looks set to continue, as the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic is expected to continue to increase PC sales.
IDC figures this increase in the double digits in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), precisely because of the need to continue working and studying from home.
Before this crisis, the PC market had been in decline for several years. But, after the arrival of the coronavirus, there has been a strong increase in demand, since it has been necessary to provide homes with PCs, both for work and for study, play, and movies.
PC sales to achive double-digit growth
IDC estimates that by 2021 more than 82 million units (desktops, laptops, and workstations) will be sold in the EMEA region alone, up 12.7% from the previous year. And that demand is expected to continue through at least the first half of 2021. In Western Europe alone, that growth will be 12.1%.
The professional PC segment in Western Europe will grow again with a 7.1% increase in the fourth quarter of 2020. Meanwhile, the Western European consumer market is expected to grow to 28%, registering its third consecutive quarter of strong growth.
“The second wave of the pandemic, along with companies still moving to an undefined remote working environment, will continue to erode demand for stationary devices,” said Liam Hall, senior research analyst at IDC Western Europe Personal Computing, in a statement. “The launch of laptops for the education segment, as schools and universities struggle with remote learning, is also likely to boost sales.
The majority of sales will be laptops
The majority of PC sales will be laptops, but desktops will also receive a boost from new, more performance-demanding video games, according to IDC. This is in contrast to the previous quarter when desktop sales plummeted.
“Laptops will continue to be the preferred form factor and will continue to experience exceptional growth driven by the need to equip every member of the household with a device for remote learning as well as entertainment during periods of confinement,” the report adds.
However, IDC warns that these good forecasts will not last forever because people will not be locked in their homes forever. In fact, and with several Covid-19 vaccines expected, PC sales are expected to be significantly lower by 2024.
