Pandemic lockdowns, war and inflation are slowing demand for PCs, which will fall 8% in 2022, according to IDC’s latest forecast.
Shipments will still be above pre-pandemic levels, however. The decline in 2022 will result in 321 million PCs shipped, but the decline will result in negative compound annual growth through 2026 of -0.6%.
Tablets will also decline by 6.2% to 158 million units, compared to 2021, IDC said.
“Supply shortages have plagued the industry for a while and the recent lockdowns in China continue to exacerbate the issue as factories struggle to receive new components from upstream suppliers while also facing issues downstream when it comes to shipping finished goods,” explained Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC.
Even when restrictions ease, which should be soon, backlogs in deliveries will last for the rest of 2022, he predicted.
The commercial PC markets shows strong demand but consumer and education markets are seeing reduced orders, IDC said, noting that “uncertainty remains high.”
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