Global PC (personal computer) shipments fell 11.1% year-over-year (YoY) in quarter two (Q2) of 2022 to reach 71.2 million units and record the largest YoY decline since the second quarter of 2013, according to Counterpoint Research.
Apple reported a sharp decline of 20% YoY in its Q2 shipments largely due to supply chain disruption at Quanta’s manufacturing lines in China. Also, consumers were waiting for a new MacBook series equipped with M2 chips, according to Counterpoint. As a result, the company lost its fourth place in the global PC rankings for Q2 2022.
Counterpoint says the decline was largely due to lockdowns in China’s Shanghai and Kunshan, which hit the PC supply chain. However, as manufacturers’ inventory continues to accumulate amid lackluster consumer demand globally, the research group thinks supply issues will likely get resolved in the second half of this year.
Even though the top three brands showed a YoY decline in Q2 shipments, they all managed to keep their rankings unchanged. Lenovo maintained its leadership in the global PC market with a 24.4% share in Q2 2022. The brand’s total shipments fell 12.7% YoY to 17.4 million units mainly due to weak consumer demand, partly offset by moderate commercial orders.
HP suffered the most among the top brands in Q2 2022, reporting a 27% YoY decline in shipments from a high base last year. The sharp decline was mainly due to soft momentum for consumer products and Chromebooks. On the other hand, Dell had the smallest adjustment to its YoY shipment performance, thanks to a commercial/premium-focused product strategy.
Acer saw a 14.8% YoY shipment decline off a relatively high base in Q2 2021. Despite Chromebook weakness continuing to cap Acer’s growth momentum, its market exposure in entry- to mainstream-level laptops helped the brand take fourth place in global PC shipments in Q2 2022.
