US PC shipments fall 23% over weakening consumer demand

SAN FRANCISCO: The shipments of desktops, notebooks and workstations in the US fell by 23 per cent (year-on-year) to 19.8 million units in the June quarter, fourth consecutive quarter of decline, according to a report.

Notebook shipments declined 27 per cent following the unprecedented success of the Chromebook market a year ago and the further weakening of consumer demand, according to Canalys.

Desktops continued to perform well, growing 10 per cent as the category has returned to shipment levels comparable to before the pandemic.

Meanwhile, tablet shipments faced a relatively modest decline of 4 per cent, reaching 10.9 million shipments.

"The US desktop and notebook market has now had four consecutive quarters of falling shipments," said Brian Lynch, research analyst at Canalys.

"Despite this, overall shipments have remained high when compared with pre-pandemic levels. The market is still quite healthy, despite various headwinds, such as mounting inflation, education market saturation and recent supply issues amid Chinese lockdowns," he mentioned.

Dell held onto its position as the top desktop and notebook vendor. It has capitalized on the strength of the commercial market.

Ever since the saturation of the education market, HP at second place has struggled to replicate its shipment figures without relying on soaring Chromebook demand. HP's shipments fell 44 per cent year on year, a modest improvement on recent quarters, said Canalys.

Lenovo took third place in the market with a 22 per cent decline in shipments.

Apple was hit by a decline of 14 per cent in shipments as it struggled with supply constraints due to lockdowns in China.