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PC shipments saw their largest decline ever last quarter
Engadget ^ | January 11, 2023

Posted on 01/15/2023 6:01:18 AM PST by fluorescence

It's no secret that the conditions were ripe for a steep drop in PC demand this holiday, but now it's clear just how bad that plunge really was. Gartner and IDC estimate PC shipments fell by more than 28 percent year-over-year in the fourth quarter of 2022. That's the steepest quarterly decline Gartner has ever recorded — no mean feat when it began tracking the computer market in the 1990s. Both analyst groups also saw yearly shipments fall by more than 16 percent in 2022 compared to the year earlier.

Some manufacturers suffered more of a blow than others. The top three brands, Lenovo, HP and Dell, saw their shipments tumble between 29 percent and 37 percent in late 2022 compared to a year earlier. Acer took a staggering 41 percent hit, according to Gartner. Fourth-place Apple took a relatively light blow, although that still meant its shipments dropped by as much as 10 percent.

Gartner and IDC share the same explanation. PC sales soared in 2021 as people continued to work from home during the pandemic, but that interest tanked as people gradually returned to the office. Moreover, a worsening global economy left people with less money to spend on upgrades. Would-be customers either had a recent PC or had trouble affording a new one, to put it simply.

IDC is quick to put the seeming freefall into context. While the quarterly and yearly drops were sharp, shipments in 2022 were still "well above" pre-pandemic figures, according to researchers. While demand still looks grim, the market was still stronger than before.

Just don't expect the PC's heyday to return for a while. Neither analyst group expects the market to recover in earnest until 2024, and IDC only sees "pockets of opportunity" in 2023. Whether they like it or not, PC makers may have to brace themselves and hope that a combination of new designs and price cuts will sustain interest for the next year.


TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: computers; desktop; pc; sales
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1 posted on 01/15/2023 6:01:18 AM PST by fluorescence
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To: fluorescence

PC sales drop. How about laptops and tablets?


2 posted on 01/15/2023 6:03:47 AM PST by bert ( (KWE. NP. N.C. +12) Juneteenth is inequality daythis piece is )
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To: fluorescence

PCs last a long time now , meaning running newer software


3 posted on 01/15/2023 6:06:46 AM PST by butlerweave
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To: fluorescence

Why buy new phone or pc when the current ones work? I believe people has finally tired of the upgrade yearly cycle.


4 posted on 01/15/2023 6:12:43 AM PST by devane617 (Discipline Is Reliable, Motivation Is Fleeting..)
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To: fluorescence

I would buy a new one if

1) I can get my cars fixed and get back to work

2) Still get one with Windows 7. May have to go refurbished.


5 posted on 01/15/2023 6:12:49 AM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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So it wouldn’t be new lol


6 posted on 01/15/2023 6:13:18 AM PST by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold ......)
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To: fluorescence

Government upgrades will probably provide a floor for the big 3 who also derive income from support.


7 posted on 01/15/2023 6:21:05 AM PST by Sgt_Schultze (When your business model depends on slave labor, you're always going to need more slaves)
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To: fluorescence
Why buy a pre-built, when you can build your own (case/MB/mem/processor/power supply/gpu/etc.) with better quality parts for much cheaper?

What about that market segment?

8 posted on 01/15/2023 6:33:07 AM PST by BureaucratusMaximus (ULTRA MAGA.)
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To: fluorescence

At some point the market gets saturated. I personally have four laptops in my home all with different purposes. Since they are working fine and I don’t change anything they seem to last for a long time. When one does give up the ghost I will buy a replacement but as long as they do what I want done I don’t see any reason to buy a computer.


9 posted on 01/15/2023 6:42:31 AM PST by CIB-173RDABN (I am not an expert in anything, and my opinion is just that, an opinion. I may be wrong.)
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To: CIB-173RDABN

I agree. For most of us doing basic browsing and office programs, there’s little need of more performance. Hard drives were always a reliability issue but with SSDs that’s fixed too.


10 posted on 01/15/2023 6:44:52 AM PST by nascarnation (Let's go Brandon!)
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To: BureaucratusMaximus

What percent of people do you think that is?


11 posted on 01/15/2023 6:47:37 AM PST by EEGator
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To: devane617
Why buy new phone or pc when the current ones work? I believe people has finally tired of the upgrade yearly cycle.

My old rule was three years and then upgrade. However, now I am changing that rule to FOUR years (and possibly 5 for the cell phone if the batteries hold up.) Why upgrade if the computer (and phone) are still doing the jobs you need them to do?

Also for some absurd reason, T-Mobile lowered the trade-in values of their cell phones. I got $300 trade-in value for each of the two Samsung Galaxy S7 phones we traded in back in 2020. Now our Samsung Galaxy 2020 Cell phones will only get $190 each on the trade-in.

12 posted on 01/15/2023 6:52:40 AM PST by PJ-Comix (Sam the Scam and the Cryptos )
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To: fluorescence

Yet the PC manufacturers pushed for communism. They must not like making money. I hope that when this is all over investors retail control and purge most of the C-suite for the grifting, venal leftists that they are.


13 posted on 01/15/2023 6:55:34 AM PST by wildcard_redneck (Germans are bat-crap crazy for cold showers, high energy bills, and boiled turnips.)
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To: BureaucratusMaximus
Why buy a pre-built, when you can build your own (case/MB/mem/processor/power supply/gpu/etc.) with better quality parts for much cheaper? What about that market segment?

As pre-built computer sales continue to plummet, prices have to drop. That's also true for components though I suspect the price cuts for components will be smaller since the highest profits are in pre-built PCs. I build my own and have for more than 30 years now. You're exactly correct that with a little research and basic assembly knowledge, it's actually quite easy to build a better computer yourself, cheaper than purchasing a mass-produced pre-built one. They last longer too.

14 posted on 01/15/2023 6:59:30 AM PST by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: fluorescence
There is no major improvement as a reason to buy a New Laptop.

Why spend $1,000's for no real improvement unless you are running heavy duty programs. Day to day programs run just fine on old Laptops.

I can buy very nice Lenovo X1's and Mac Books for a few hundred dollars which are perfect for my personal and business usage.

15 posted on 01/15/2023 7:02:56 AM PST by Lockbox (politicians, they all seemed like game show hosts to me.... Sting)
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To: bert

Maybe they could lower prices... have a sale or two.


16 posted on 01/15/2023 7:06:44 AM PST by GOPJ ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muw22wTePqQ Gumballs: Immigrants by the numbers.)
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To: fluorescence

My HP laptop has been running without a hitch since 2014-15, can’t recall exactly ... its memory is better than mine.

Nary a Mac I’ve had lasted that near that long and they cost 2-3x as much.

No Mac no more.


17 posted on 01/15/2023 7:22:08 AM PST by Quentin Quarantino
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To: Quentin Quarantino

My 2012 Mac run just fine. 10 years and use it 1 to 6 hours a day. Never shut it down.


18 posted on 01/15/2023 7:47:43 AM PST by US_MilitaryRules (#PureBlood)
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To: PJ-Comix

“My old rule was three years and then upgrade.”

I built my PC in 2014. Tried to load TurboTax but not compatible with Win 8.1. Fortunately MS has free upgrade so I am all set.


19 posted on 01/15/2023 7:54:45 AM PST by TexasGator (!!!)
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To: US_MilitaryRules

Wow, that’s really good to hear. I used to be a Mac guy, the newest I ever had was a G5, I think, from 2003. I’m long retired now so don’t really need the horsepower anymore.


20 posted on 01/15/2023 7:59:51 AM PST by Quentin Quarantino
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