Global PC market recovered partially in Q4 2023
Gartner sees annual growth returning to PC sector in 2024
The worldwide PC market witnessed a slight uptick in the fourth quarter of 2023, signalling a potential turnaround after eight consecutive quarters of decline, as newly reported by Gartner.
While the year 2023 recorded an overall annual decline of 14.8%, the quarter-over-quarter increase offers a glimmer of hope for the industry.
In the fourth quarter of 2023, worldwide PC shipments totalled 63.3 million units, marking a modest 0.3% increase from the same period in 2022. However, 2023 saw a substantial 14.8% decline in PC shipments compared to 2022, with 241.8 million units shipped.
According to Mikako Kitagawa, Director Analyst at Gartner, the PC market seems to have hit the bottom of its decline after a significant adjustment, with inventory normalisation being a critical factor in the fourth quarter of 2023.
The top six PC vendors, including Lenovo, HP, Apple, Dell, ASUS, and Acer, maintained their positions in 2023. Lenovo marked its first year-over-year growth since Q3 2021, while Dell and ASUS experienced declines.
Gartner projects a return to annual growth in the PC market in 2024 despite anticipated challenges such as component price hikes and geopolitical uncertainties.
Worldwide PC vendor performance in Q4 2023*
| Company | Q4 2023 shipments (Thousands of units) | Q4 2023 market share (%) | Q4 2022 shipments | Q4 2022 market share (%) | Q4 2023-Q4 2022 growth (%) |
| Lenovo | 16,213 | 25.6 | 15,713 | 24.9 | 3.2 |
| HP Inc. | 13,954 | 22.0 | 13,220 | 20.9 | 5.6 |
| Dell | 9,983 | 15.8 | 10,884 | 17.2 | -8.3 |
| Apple | 6,349 | 10.0 | 5,925 | 9.4 | 7.2 |
| ASUS | 4,405 | 7.0 | 4,864 | 7.7 | -9.4 |
| Acer | 3,987 | 6.3 | 3,589 | 5.7 | 11.1 |
| Others | 8,479 | 13.4 | 8,982 | 14.2 | -5.6 |
| Total | 63,371 | 100.0 | 63,179 | 100.0 | 0.3 |
* Data includes desktop and laptop PCs with Windows, macOS, and Chrome OS.
Regions in focus
The US PC market experienced a 1.8% year-over-year growth in Q4 2023, with HP leading with 27.7% market share, followed by Dell at 22.6%.
EMEA recorded an 8.7% year-over-year growth, the highest since Q4 2021, with Lenovo showing double-digit growth in EMEA and the Americas.
Asia Pacific declined by 8%, with China strongly impacting the region. The Asia-Pacific market recorded seven consecutive quarters of decline.
2023 marked the second consecutive year of a double-digit decline in PC shipments, recording a 14.8% decrease compared to 2022.
Annual overview*
| Company | 2023 shipments (Thousands of units) | 2023 market share (%) | 2022 shipments | 2022 market share (%) | 2023-2022 growth (%) |
| Lenovo | 59,725 | 24.7 | 69,047 | 24.3 | -13.5 |
| HP Inc. | 52,896 | 21.9 | 55,366 | 19.5 | -4.5 |
| Dell | 40,238 | 16.6 | 50,008 | 17.6 | -19.5 |
| Apple | 21,877 | 9.0 | 26,825 | 9.4 | -18.4 |
| ASUS | 17,061 | 7.1 | 20,651 | 7.3 | -17.4 |
| Acer | 15,887 | 6.6 | 18,708 | 6.6 | -15.1 |
| Others | 34,206 | 14.1 | 43,448 | 15.3 | -21.3 |
| Total | 241,891 | 100.0 | 284,052 | 100.0 | -14.8 |
* Data includes desktop and laptop PCs with Windows, macOS, and Chrome OS.
Kitagawa noted that the PC market is entering a recovery phase, but challenges such as expected component price hikes and geopolitical uncertainties may influence future trends. The industry is cautiously optimistic about a return to annual growth in 2024.
Featured image: Worldwide PC shipments totalled 63.3 million units in Q4 2023. Image: Aryan Dhiman
