Traditional PC shipments grew 11.2 percent year over year to a total of 72.3 million units in the second quarter, according to preliminary results from IDC. Gartner meanwhile puts the figure at 64.8 million units in Q2, a 2.8 percent increase from the second quarter of 2019. After a significant decline in the first quarter of the year due to Covid-19-related supply chain disruptions, the PC market returned to growth as vendors restocked their channels and mobile PC demand increased, Gartner researchers said.
Traditional PC shipments in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) and the EMEA region came in above IDC's expectations, with the market registering slight growth compared with the same quarter a year ago. Following a weak first quarter, which saw the industry impacted by factory closures in China and supply shortages, Q2 shipments saw a significant improvement, driven by inventory replenishment and strong sales of notebook PCs, fueled by increased demand due to work from home and e-learning.
Traditional PC shipments in the US also posted double-digit growth in the second quarter compared to the same period a year ago. While the first quarter was record breaking for the lowest PC shipments seen in over a decade, the second quarter was record breaking for the opposite reason. With volumes expected to surpass 21 million units, the US has not seen such volume since the end of 2009, IDC said.
In terms of shipments, IDC named HP market leader with a market share of 25.0 percent, ahead of Lenovo with 24.1 percent, Dell Technologies with 16.6 percent, Apple with 7.7 percent, and Acer Group with 6.7 percent. Other companies had a combined market share of 19.8 percent.
Lenovo and HP tied for lead
Gartner's preliminary results show that Lenovo and HP shared the number one position in the worldwide PC market, accounting for half of PC shipments in the second quarter of 2020, up from 46.6 percent in the second quarter of 2019. Lenovo had a 25 percent market share, slightly ahead of HP with 24.9 percent, followed by Dell with 16.4 percent, Apple with 6.7 percent, Acer Group with 6.2 percent, and Asus with 5.5 percent. Other companies had a combined market share of 15.2 percent.
Gartner estimates that the US PC market grew 3.5 percent year over year, registering its fifth consecutive quarter of growth. Double-digit mobile PC growth was offset by a 44 percent decline in desk-based PCs. HP secured the top spot in the US PC market based on shipments, taking nearly 33 percent, followed by Dell with 26.1 percent market share.
PC shipments in EMEA rose 20 percent in the second quarter, representing the strongest growth in this region in over 10 years, Gartner said. The exceptionally strong market demand was driven by the requirement for remote work and online education due to COVID-19, as well as a boom in consumer demand and increased vendor supply to the region as channels depleted during the first quarter of the year were restocked.
The Asia/Pacific market declined 8.1 percent year over year in the second quarter. While the consumer PC market was strong, driven by both replacement and first-time purchases to address stay at home requirements, the business market was weak, reflecting demand challenges and budget constraints in certain verticals, such as government and education.
