Global computer shipments fell 20.1% in the third quarter of the year (July-September) compared with the same period last year, reaching 62.7 million units, according to the latest data from IDC. This is the second consecutive quarter of decline, following a much smaller drop of 3.8% in Q2. Shipments in Q3 also fell by 9.1% compared with the previous quarter, making it anything but a great situation for the industry.
There are some things to keep in mind, though. These reports track shipments, not sales to consumers. IDC notes that during the first half of the year, retailers loaded up on inventory to get ahead of impending price hikes, and this was reported as shipments in earlier quarters. In Q3, most retailers focused on clearing that inventory rather than acquiring new stock. IDC's research director for consumer devices, Jitesh Ubrani, says channels are now worried about carrying too much inventory into a market where high prices are suppressing demand.
While that could result in a few promotions, IDC expects prices to remain high across the industry. "With macro conditions worsening, the risk is that the outlook for the next few quarters gets worse before it gets better," Ubrani adds.
Lenovo led the market in Q3 with 14.9 million shipments and a 23.8% market share, followed by HP Inc with 10.3 million shipments and a 16.5% share, Dell Technologies with 7.6 million and a 12.1% share, Apple with 5.9 million and a 9.5% share, and ASUS with 5.5 million and an 8.7% share. HP's shipments were hit hardest compared with the year-ago quarter, followed by Dell and Lenovo. ASUS saw the smallest decline, followed by Apple.
Source: GSMArena · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing