PC sales are back to 2012 levels, up 34% from their 2017 nadir
Summary
The PC market grew 14.8% in 2021, shipping the largest number of desktops, laptops, and workstations in a single year since 2012, according to new data from IDC, a research firm. 2021 shipments were up over 34% from the industrys low point in 2017 to 349 million units, according to preliminary data provided by IDC. Its a noteworthy recovery for a sector that had been written off by technology investors and operators as a sleepy field in decline as recently as a few years ago as smartphones became the most important and highest-volume product in the electronics business. One question facing the market is whether the rise in the past two years is sustainable or if shipments will begin to decline again as they did a decade ago. In December, IDC said the market had pulled passed peak pandemic demand, and forecast a slowdown in 2022.