Global PC Shipments Grow in 2024, Driven by Business Replacements and Microsoft’s End-of-Support for Windows 10

Shipments of personal computers increased in 2024, fueled by businesses replacing old hardware and Microsoft’s looming end-of-support for its Windows 10 operating system.

Market Research Firms Provide Contrasting Forecasts

According to market research firm Canalys, PC shipments rose 3.8% in 2024 to 255.5 million units from 246.3 million in 2023. IDC, another research firm, pegged 2024 shipments higher — 262.7 million — but it also had higher 2023 shipments — 260.2 million, for a year-over-year increase of 1%.

Canalys Analyst Kieren Jessop Discusses the Market Trend

“2024 was a year of modest recovery and a return to traditional seasonality for the PC market as full-year shipments grew 3.8%,” Canalys Analyst Kieren Jessop said in a statement.

“Growth increased slightly in Q4, with shipments rising by 4.6% year on year, signaling a positive trend as we moved to within a year of the Windows 10 end-of-support date,” he continued.

“Holiday season demand was supported by strong discounting by vendors and retailers, enticing consumers who have become increasingly price-sensitive,” he stated.

Jessop noted that the use of buy now, pay later services supported that trend, with increasing examples of those offerings being leveraged to drive spending on big-ticket items, such as PCs.

Government Subsidies in China Boost Notebook Sales

Meanwhile, he added that in China, government stimulus in the form of consumer subsidies helped to promote spending on notebooks amid a weakening demand environment.

Strong Seasonal Sales

“Though the market has been experiencing a slower return to growth, there was some room for optimism in Q4 as government subsidies in China led to better than expected sales,” said Eric Compton, director of technology equity research at Morningstar Research Services in Chicago.

“With special chips called NPUs [Neural Processing Units], they’re great for tasks like AI, language processing, and predicting things,” he told TechNewsWorld. “Businesses and people will want PCs that can use AI to make their work easier, more creative, and more automated.”

AI-Capable PCs to Gain Popularity

SmartTech Research in Las Vegas predicted that AI-capable PCs will become increasingly popular. “With special chips called NPUs [Neural Processing Units], they’re great for tasks like AI, language processing, and predicting things,” said Eric Compton.

“Businesses and people will want PCs that can use AI to make their work easier, more creative, and more automated,” he continued.

AI PCs Projected to Account for 35% of Shipments by Q4 2025

A forecast by TechNewsWorld showed that AI PCs are projected to account for 35% of shipments by Q4 2025. However, Eric Compton maintained that 2025 will be the same as 2024 in terms of fueling growth in PC shipments.

“The continued PC refresh cycle and the need to replace machines purchased during the boom years of 2020 and 2021 will be the primary factors,” he told TechNewsWorld.

“If AI PCs can improve their functionality and generate some more unique demand, this could be a wildcard for additional demand,” he added.