What drove the significant surge in global PC shipments in 2021?

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The COVID-19 pandemic significantly boosted global PC shipments in 2021, reaching the highest volume since 2013.

Global PC shipments surged to 339.7 million units in 2021, marking a 9.9 per cent increase from the previous year and achieving the highest shipment volume observed since 2013. This substantial growth is largely attributed to the widespread adoption of new working and learning models necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which in turn drove demand for high-performance hardware. Despite an anticipated slowdown in demand over the next two years, Gartner forecasts that annual sales volumes will not revert to pre-pandemic levels.
Pandemic-Induced Shift in Work and Education

The pandemic fundamentally altered how professionals and students conduct their daily activities, compelling a widespread shift towards remote work and online learning environments. This transition created a heightened need for reliable and capable personal computing devices, with many individuals and organizations investing in new hardware to support these evolving operational requirements. The demand for enhanced computing power to facilitate seamless remote collaboration and access to digital resources was a primary driver behind the increased PC purchases.
Desktop Segment Outperforms Notebooks Amidst Supply Constraints

While overall PC shipments saw a significant rise, the growth was particularly concentrated in the desktop segment. This trend was influenced by ongoing semiconductor shortages, which disproportionately affected the supply of notebooks. Manufacturers faced greater challenges in meeting the demand for laptops due to the complex integrated components, leading to relatively limited availability and consequently, a stronger performance in the more robust desktop market.
Key Market Leaders and Their Performance

In 2021, Lenovo emerged as the leading PC vendor, shipping over 84 million units and securing a 24.7 per cent market share, experiencing a growth of more than 10 per cent year-on-year. HP and Dell followed closely, with shipments of 74.1 million and 59.6 million units respectively. Apple also demonstrated strong performance, with 25.9 million shipments and an 18.1 per cent increase in sales, positioning it as the fourth-largest vendor. Acer and Asus rounded out the top vendors, with 24.3 million and 21.6 million shipments, respectively. These figures encompass all types of PCs, including Chromebooks.

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What drove the significant surge in global PC shipments in 2021?

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