These are arguably the toughest times for the smartphone and PC industries.
Global smartphone shipments fell 9% (year on year) in the second quarter this year. Now PC shipments (desktops, laptops and workstations) have followed suit. And their decline has been alarming. Global PC shipments fell 11.1% YoY in Q2 2022 to reach 71.2 million units and record the largest YoY decline since Q2 2013.
According to Counterpoint data, the decline was largely due to lockdown in China that hit the PC supply chain. However, worryingly, consumer demand was also weak. The double whammy has hit the industry enormously. “Regional conflicts as well as global inflation have resulted in a downward sloping demand and consumer spending. Enterprises too are putting off their new purchases and device upgrades, though the orders from the commercial segment have remained more solid compared to the consumer segment,” Counterpoint said.
But the silver lining is that things can’t get worse. And this may be a good time to pick up good deals on laptops and desktops.
Apple loses its position
By region, the US and EU saw double-digit YoY declines in their Q2 2022 shipments, mainly dragged by Chromebook demand correction and poor consumer demand. China went into lockdown earlier this year, and this resulted in creating havoc for laptop contract manufacturers like Quanta, Compal and Wistron.
Among PC brands, Lenovo was able to continue its leadership in the global PC market with a 24.4% share in Q2 2022. The brand’s total shipments though dropped 12.7% YoY to 17.4 million units.
HP suffered the most among the top brands in Q2 2022, reporting a 27% YoY decline in shipments. Dell had the smallest adjustment to its YoY shipment performance, thanks to a commercial/premium-focused product strategy. Acer had a 14.8% YoY shipment decline and was in the fourth place in global PC shipments in Q2 2022.
Apple reported a sharp decline of 20% YoY in its Q2 shipments largely due to supply chain disruption in China. It lost its fourth place in the global PC rankings for Q2 2022. Asus’ Q2 shipments were down 7.7% YoY, and its total shipments stood at 4.7 million. It shared the fifth position with Apple in Q2 2022.
Counterpoint said: “We are revising our forecast for the 2022 PC shipments to a 9% YoY decline, with potential bright spots of new M2 MacBooks and desktop demand rebounding after the post-COVID-19 reopening of offices.”