CHART: A Look at the PC Market in Q3 2024

Emmanuel Oyedeji -
  • Total PC shipments increased by 1.3% to 66.4 million units in Q3 2024.
  • Lenovo maintained its position as the top PC vendor in Q3 2024.
  • Apple's shipments declined significantly due to softening demand for Macs.

The global PC market, after navigating several years of uncertainty, has shown promising signs of recovery.

According to the latest data from Canalys, this sector has grown year-on-year for the fourth consecutive quarter, with total shipments of desktops, notebooks, and workstations rising by 1.3% to reach 66.4 million units.

While the pace of growth might seem modest, the momentum has been consistent, signalling a recovery in both business and consumer demand, along with exciting innovations in PC technology.

This quarter’s performance was largely driven by a robust increase in notebook shipments, including mobile workstations, which rose by 2.8% to 53.5 million units. In contrast, desktop shipments experienced a decline of 4.6%, falling to 12.9 million units.

Business demand played a key role in this recovery. As Ishan Dutt, Principal Analyst at Canalys, noted, companies have just a year to upgrade to Windows 11 or risk paying extended support fees. This urgency is driving procurement activity. Additionally, the arrival of next-generation AI-powered PC processors from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm is making upgrades more attractive by offering enhanced capabilities like machine learning and improved performance.