With Lenovo leading the pack, the PC market worldwide grew modestly in Q4 and the whole of 2024. Uncertainty and AI challenges loom as 2025’s outlook remains mixed.
The global PC market ended 2024 with modest growth, as shipments increased by 1.8% in the fourth quarter compared to the previous year, reaching 68.9 million units, according to the data recorded by the International Data Corporation (IDC).
The report stated that for the entire year, PC shipments totalled 262.7 million units, marking only a year-over-year (YoY) 1% increase from 2023. However, while the market showed some resilience, IDC analysts noted that the outlook for 2025 is mixed due to a combination of macroeconomic uncertainties and technological developments.
Looking at the top five companies in the global PC market for Q4 2024, Lenovo led with 16.9 million units shipped, representing 24.5% of the market, a 4.8% increase from Q4 2023. HP Inc. followed with 13.7 million units shipped (19.9% market share), but saw a slight YoY decline of 1.7%.
Dell Technologies shipped 9.9 million units, maintaining a 14.4% market share, with a negligible YoY decrease of 0.2%. Apple experienced a significant rise, shipping 7 million units (10.1% share), an increase of 17.3% YoY. ASUS also saw growth, with shipments of 4.7 million units (6.9% share), reflecting an 11.7% increase from Q4 2023. The “Others” category, which includes smaller manufacturers, accounted for 16.7 million units (24.2% share), but experienced a YoY decline of 4.8%.
Yearly, in the whole 2024, Lenovo remained the top PC vendor, shipping 61.8 million units (23.5% share), a 4.7% increase from 2023. HP Inc. shipped 53 million units (20.2% share), a modest 0.1% increase from the previous year.
Dell Technologies saw a YoY decline of 2.2%, with shipments of 39.1 million units (14.9% share). Apple’s shipments grew by 4.5% YoY to 22.9 million units (8.7% share), while ASUS increased its shipments by 6.4% to 17.9 million units (6.8% share). The “Others” category, accounting for 25.9% of the total market, saw a slight YoY decline of 2.1%.
According to the report, these results highlight the mixed dynamics in the PC industry, where growth continues in specific segments but faces headwinds from economic uncertainty, tariffs, and the challenging rollout of AI-based devices.
Jitesh Ubrani, research manager at IDC, explained that the growth in Q4 was bolstered by government subsidies in China, which led to better-than-expected performance in the consumer segment. Additionally, strong end-of-year sales promotions in the US and Europe and businesses upgrading their hardware ahead of the Windows 10 support expiration in October 2025 contributed to the positive results.
However, IDC warned that geopolitical tensions, including potential changes in the US administration and the threat of higher tariffs, are creating concern within the industry. These factors prompted some brands to adjust their supply chains in December, particularly those with limited manufacturing capacity outside of China, though the impact of these adjustments was minimal.
Ryan Reith, group vice president at IDC, noted that while there is excitement around the potential of AI-integrated PCs, broader economic challenges are tempering this enthusiasm.
He noted, “When the industry is trying to push new AI PCs that come with higher cost at a time when use cases are still being vetted and budgets are tight, that is clearly going to be a challenge. But on-device AI for PCs is inevitable, therefore, right now it is about suppliers trying to be patient as their customers are dealing with headwinds unrelated to these technology advancements.”
Despite these challenges, IDC believes that on-device AI will eventually play a significant role in the industry.
