PC, tablet shipments to grow 3.3% in 2020: IDC

The first half of 2020 has seen a resurgence in the PC and tablet markets, and demand continues to outpace supply. The order is largely being driven by work from home and at-home education needs, although the general lockdowns produced some additional buying for entertainment purposes.

As a result, International Data Corporation (IDC) expects the personal computing devices (PCD) market, which includes traditional PCs, tablets, and workstations, will grow 3.3% year over year in 2020, with shipment volumes reaching 425.7 million units.

This year's growth is notable given that 2019 was an unusually strong PC market, driven mainly by commercial purchases for the Windows 7 end-of-support transition. And the COVID-19 response accelerated demand for PCs and tablets from both the commercial segment and the consumer segment this year.

"Consumers have been stuck at home, unable to spend on restaurants, movies, and other day-to-day activities," said David Myhrer, research vice president for IDC's Consumer Technology Strategy Service. "Technology has been the big winner in all of this as device spending has been especially surprising, with spend at year-end, holiday-like levels throughout much of the second quarter."

While this recent surge in PC and tablet demand still has some legs, IDC expects the PCD market to decline in 2021 as businesses and consumers continue to deal with the economic uncertainty brought on by the pandemic. The market is forecast to resume its long-term decline with a compound annual growth rate of -2.2% as shipments fall to 389.6 million units in 2024.