The Indian traditional PC market witnessed significant growth in Q3 2020 with a strong demand driven by for e-learning and remote working, according to new data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

As per the IDC report, the PC market which includes desktops, notebooks, and workstations witnessed a 9.2 per cent year-over-year (YoY) growth in Q3 2020 (July-September 2020) accounting for 3.4 million units shipped.

Virtual learning driving consumer segment

The consumer segment recorded its biggest quarter ever with 2.0 million shipments, recording a 41.7 per cent YoY growth and a 167.2 per cent increase from the previous quarter.

The demand was driven by consumers mandated to learn from home as schools and colleges continued to function virtually. IDC predicts that the demand for notebook PCs will remain “much higher” than the current supply resulting in another robust quarter of shipments in Q4.

“There is still a lot of uncertainty if and when will the schools and colleges return to physical classrooms at full strength. This is forcing students to manage all their learning virtually,” Bharath Shenoy, market analyst for PC Devices at IDC India states said.

“This demand is expected to stay strong as India remains underpenetrated in PCs. To add to this, the growing broadband connectivity in the country is making online learning easier for students. Hence, this opportunity will continue to be relevant for PC vendors for at least a few more quarters,” Shenoy said.

The quarter has been fruitful for new entrants such as Xiaomi and Avita as well who leveraged this opportunity but remained outside of the top five companies in the consumer segment. Apple also witnessed its biggest quarter in terms of shipments in the country with a 19.4 per cent YoY increase.

Growth in the commercial segment

As for the commercial segment, enterprises continued investing in PCs owing to remote working requirements. There was a marginal growth of 3.1 per cent YoY in the overall enterprise segment.

Notebook shipments witnessed a 70.1 per cent YoY growth due to increased preference over desktops.

“SMBs resumed their purchases after taking a slight pause, as business operations started for most of the sectors with a relaxation in the lockdown restrictions,” the report said.

This segment witnessed a 5.5 per cent YoY growth in shipments.

“However, this growth can also be attributed to channel procurement for better control over inventories amid the uncertain supply situation in the ecosystem,” the report said.

“Anticipating a longer work from home possibility, enterprises are getting ready for a larger mobile workforce and keep reducing their dependency on desktops. Also, SMBs started showing more momentum and will be critical in sustaining the ongoing growth in the commercial segment. Unfortunately, shortages of some key components continue to be a challenge. Vendors that will be able to manage the supplies of these components will benefit from this opportunity more as there is still a lot of untapped demand for PCs in the country,” says Jaipal Singh, Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

Top five in the overall PC segment

As for the overall PC segment, HP Inc led the market with a share of 28.2 per cent in Q3 2020, followed by Lenovo with a 21.7 per cent share in its overall shipments. Dell Technologies secured the third position with a market share of 21.3 per cent, followed by Acer Group with a 9.5 per cent market share.

Asus maintained the fifth position and recorded a 55.4 per cent YoY growth in its overall PC shipments.

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