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A preliminary report claims Apple suffered a 40pc drop in its PC sales this year, while HP took the smallest hit and saw a rise in market share.
PC sales have taken a hit worldwide with major suppliers suffering an average drop of 29pc, according to research company IDC.
The preliminary report claims global shipments in traditional PCs reached 56.9m for the first quarter of 2023, a significant contraction compared to the same period last year.
The IDC claims a weak demand, excess inventory and macroeconomic issues were all factors for the global sales decline.
The report expects PC shipments to continue to decline in the near term and anticipates a return to growth towards the end of 2023. IDC devices and displays research VP Linn Huang said that by 2024, an “aging installed base will start coming up for refresh”.
“If the economy is trending upwards by then, we expect significant market upside as consumers look to refresh, schools seek to replace worn down Chromebooks, and businesses move to Windows 11,” Huang said. “If recession in key markets drags on into next year, recovery could be a slog.”
The results mirror an earlier report on PC sales in Western Europe, which claimed sales in the region fell by more than 20pc last year.
The report by market analyst firm Canalys claimed that PC shipments fell by nearly 38pc in the last quarter of 2022 and predicted further declines for “most of 2023”. However, Canalys also predicts an upturn towards the end of 2023.
Apple takes the greatest hit
Based on the IDC report data, Apple has taken the biggest hit in 2023, suffering a 40.5pc drop in its sales compared to the first quarter of 2022.
The company’s market share was also reduced as a result, falling to 7.2pc this year compared to 8.6pc at the start of 2022.
Lenovo retained the largest market share at 22.4pc, but still suffered a 30.3pc drop to its sales. HP took the smallest hit with a 24.2pc decline and took the second highest spot in terms of market share, rising from 19.7pc in 2022 to 21.1pc this year.
Apple’s PC business decline contrasts its recent dominance in the premium smartphone market. Research last month suggests Apple strengthened its dominance in this sector and took 75pc of the total sales in 2022.
This research by Counterpoint also found that the global sales of premium smartphones – with a wholesale price of more than $600 – grew by 1pc in 2022. This was despite the global smartphone market shrinking by 12pc in the same period due to macroeconomic difficulties.
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