Research firm Gartner reported worldwide PC shipments totaled 69.9 million units in the first quarter of 2021, representing an increase of 32% compared to the same period last year.

Last year’s first quarter shipment figure was notably weak, said the firm, but the market rebounded tremendously this year to record the fastest year-over-year growth since they started tracking the PC market in 2000. 

The pandemic is a huge factor in the leap in sales but the firm warns that the continuing global chip shortage could temper the prospects for the market in the coming months. 

“While [the chip shortage] may lead to lower shipment numbers, it is still reasonable to conclude that PC demand could remain strong even after stay-home restrictions ease. Moving forward, vendors and suppliers will be closely balancing the need to meet underlying demand without creating excess inventory,” said Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner. 

Explainer: Why is there a global chip shortage and why should you care?

Lenovo led the quarter’s PC shipments with a 25.1% market share, followed by HPat 21.4%; Dell, 16.5%; Apple, 8%; Acer, 5.7%; and ASUS, 5.4%. 

Lenovo also recorded the highest growth among the top 6 vendors, posting a 42.3% year-over-year global growth, and “particularly strong growth” in Asia Pacific at 63.7%. Gartner notes that Lenovo, amid the chip shortage issues, appeared to be “more in control of their supply chain, as a higher percentage of its PCs are manufactured in-house compared to other vendors.” 

On the opposite end, Dell showed the slowest growth, which the firm attributed to the company’s focus on the business PC market, which hasn’t grown as much as the consumer PC market. – Rappler.com