After a rough start to the year, International Data Corporation (IDC) has lowered its forecast for global PC and Tablet shipments with volumes expected to reach 384.8 million in 2023, down 15.2% compared to last year, according to the Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker. Demand has continued to cool as many macroeconomic indicators have worsened or remain unchanged in the past few months, contributing to the lowered outlook. However, IDC expects the market to rebound in 2024 with global volumes reaching 403.1 million during the year and growing to 425 million by the end of 2027.
“As the global economy has continued to struggle, consumers have tightened spending and commercial buyers are delaying purchases,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC Mobility and Consumer Device Trackers. “Consumer demand is at risk of perishing as they revert to pre-pandemic habits where the PC wasn’t at the center of their daily computing needs, However, commercial buying is expected to ramp up during 2024 and will help the PC market grow beyond pre-pandemic levels.”
“In the last two years, average selling prices (ASPs) have risen dramatically as a result of component shortages, inflation, logistics disruptions, and rapid product mix shifts,” added IDC research vice president of devices and displays Linn Huang. “With the shortage abruptly turning into surplus, we’ve seen prices come down due to liquidation and mix regression. We expect this to continue throughout the year with ASPs projected to decline 2.8% to $700. This would mark the first ASP decline for a full year since 2015.”
| Worldwide Personal Computing Device Forecast by Product Category, Shipments, Year-Over-Year Growth, and 2023-2027 CAGR (shipments in millions) | |||||
| Product Category | 2023 Shipments | 2023/2022 Growth | 2027 Shipments | 2027/2026 Growth | 2023-2027 CAGR |
| Tablet | 134.0 | -17.1% | 135.8 | -1.8% | 0.3% |
| Traditional PC | 250.8 | -14.1% | 289.2 | 1.4% | 3.6% |
| Total | 384.8 | -15.2% | 425.0 | 0.3% | 2.5% |
| Source: IDC Worldwide Personal Computing Device Tracker, June 6, 2023 | |||||
Notes:
• Shipments include shipments to distribution channels or end users. OEM sales are counted under the company/brand under which they are sold.
• Traditional PCs include Desktops, Notebooks, and Workstations and do not include Tablets or x86 Servers.