Global PC shipments grew around 3 percent YoY in Q1 2024 after eight consecutive quarters of declines due to demand slowdown and inventory correction, according to the latest data from Counterpoint Research. The shipment growth in Q1 2024 came on a relatively low base in Q1 2023. The coming quarters of 2024 will see sequential shipment growth, resulting in 3 percent YoY growth for the full year, largely driven by AI PC momentum, shipment recovery across different sectors, and a fresh replacement cycle.
Lenovo’s PC shipments were up 8 percent in Q1 2024 off an easy comparison from last year. The brand managed to reclaim its 24 percent share in the market, compared to 23 percent in Q1 2023. HP and Dell, with market shares of 21 percent and 16 percent respectively, remained flattish, waiting for North America to drive shipment growth in the coming quarters. Apple’s shipment performance was also resilient, with the 2 percent growth mainly supported by M3 base models.
2024 is the first chapter of the AI PC (including desktops and laptops), as 45 percent of the new laptops shipped during the year will be AI-capable.
Senior Analyst William Li said, “We believe the shipment and deployment of generative AI laptops will accelerate in 2025-2026, along with emerging generative AI functions and use cases, supported by chip vendors’ new processor platforms.”
Against the backdrop of normalizing inventory levels and the end of the replacement cycle following skyrocketing demand in both enterprise and consumer segments amid the COVID-19 pandemic, we believe AI laptops could act as a catalyst in driving the overall PC shipment recovery in 2024. Manufacturers are expected to start promoting AI PCs as their main products in the second half of 2024 as semiconductor companies prepare to launch SoCs featuring higher TOPS.