The PC market in 2019 – 244m shipments, $169b spending, 881 installed base

The PC market reached maturity a number of years ago and has overtaken by mobile devices in terms of spending, shipments and the number installed; nevertheless they have a vital role to play for those able to work from home during the pandemic. In 2019 244 million machines, worth $169b were shipped with the total installed base standing at 881 at the end of the year.

The Americas are the most import region for the usee of PCs, followed closely by Asia Pacific, with EMEA now lagging some way behind (see my Figure above, which shows the annual development of region installed base totals since 2005).

In terms of revenues (see my Figure above) the Americas has out-stripped the others since 2014. The decline in spending in other regions indicates perhaps the extent to which smart phones, tablets and other devices have taken over as the main means of computing,

The number of shipments has grown in the Americas and Asia Pacific in the last few years, while it has declined slightly in EMEA (see my Figure above).

Lenovo, HP and Dell are the three stand-out leaders of the PC market. Between them they accounted for 63% of both revenues and the installed base and 68% of unit shipments. Apple and Samsung are also vital players. Other European and Japanese vendors have fallen back over the years as only global producers have been able to succeed due to the significant advantages of manufacturing at scale. Once the pandemic has subsided it is possible that an opportunity for strong regional suppliers will return.

There are arguably enough PCs to see us through the current crisis. They are vital for those of us who are able to work from home, for keeping contact with friends and loved ones via Skype and other video conferencing applications, and as platforms for games – in addition to dedicated consoles – for those who take solace in virtual entertainment when they are unable to leave their homes.