New Delhi, April 14
Global PC shipments reached 59 million units in the first quarter of 2025, a 4.8 per cent increase from the first quarter of 2024, a report showed on Monday.
US PC shipments grew 12.6 per cent, reaching 16 million units in the first quarter of 2025, according to preliminary results by Gartner.
“The growth in the PC market in the first quarter of 2025 was driven by the surge in shipments in two key markets, the US and Japan, but for different underlying reasons,†said Rishi Padhi, Research Principal at Gartner.
The PC market in the US experienced a surge in shipments as vendors increased inventory in anticipation of tariff announcements, resulting in 12.6 per cent year-over-year growth.
Despite this increase and the subsequent strong topline growth, underlying end-user demand remained cautious, even with the added boost from enterprises upgrading PCs for Windows 11, Padhi noted.
In Japan, strong business PC demand driven by Windows 11 replacements, coupled with the adoption of Chromebooks, significantly contributed to shipment growth of 15.6 per cent.
Padhi further stated that vendors participating in the GIGA education Chromebook replacement programme capitalised on this opportunity by offering upgrades to older devices, thereby sustaining momentum in the market.
According to the Gartner findings, there were no major changes in the top six vendor rankings worldwide in the first quarter of 2025.
In worldwide PC shipments, Lenovo had the strongest growth rate among the top six vendors at 9.6 per cent year-over-year, while Acer experienced the slowest growth at 1.9 per cent.
Moreover, In the US market, HP was in the top spot with 25.1 per cent market share, followed by Dell with 23.9 per cent of the market, the report noted.
The report mentioned that Windows 11 upgrades and increased inventory to pre-empt US tariff impacts fuelled PC growth.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Interesting to see the US market leading the growth! I just upgraded to Windows 11 last month and it's been a smooth transition. Maybe more people are finally making the switch? 🤔
Not sure I buy the "strong demand" narrative when the article mentions underlying end-user demand remains cautious. Sounds like vendors are pushing inventory rather than responding to real consumer needs.
Lenovo killing it with 9.6% growth! Their ThinkPads are still the best business laptops IMO. Been using them for years at work.
The Chromebook adoption in Japan is fascinating. Shows how education tech is driving market changes worldwide. My kid's school just switched to Chromebooks too! 🎓
Surprised to see Acer lagging behind. They've had some great value laptops recently. Maybe they need better marketing?
The tariff anticipation strategy makes sense, but I wonder if this will lead to oversupply later in the year. Smart move by HP and Dell to stay on top though!
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