The Indian traditional PC market inclusive of desktops, notebooks, and workstations continued to grow recording an increase of 73.1 per cent year-over-year (YoY) in shipments in Q1 2021 (Jan-March), according to new data from the International Data Corporation’s (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

As per the data, a total of 3.1 million PCs were shipped during the quarter , recording the highest ever first-quarter shipments to India.

The growth was led by notebooks, which remained with over three-fourths share of the PC category, registering a growth of 116.7 per cent YoY in Q1 2021. Additionally, the desktop category remained steady and showed initial signs of recovery.

PCs witnessed an increase in demand as enterprises, SMBs, and consumers continued their purchases, as per the report. However, the supply has been inconsistent over the past few quarters even as demand continued to outstrip the supply allocation for the country. Vendors were able to manage better allocations at the closing of the quarter from their headquarters.

Additionally, the lower than usual shipments in Q1 20 helped the annual growth in shipments as it looks more favourable due to the lower base, it said.

“Many companies remained fully remote or had adopted a hybrid working model to manage the growing concerns of the pandemic within the country. As cases continued to rise, a few large enterprises procured PCs in bulk to manage their workforces, adopting these new working models for the long haul,” said Bharath Shenoy , Market Analyst, PC Devices, IDC India.

He added, “The demand for virtual learning is still strong, alongside a stronger demand for affordable PCs. This is evident from the recovery of desktops in the consumer segment, which grew 49.5 per cent YoY in 1Q21, despite the growing trend of notebooks replacing desktops."

Top players

HP Inc returned to the first spot in terms of the overall PC market share, replacing Dell as its shipments grew 102.1 per cent YoY in Q1 21. It held a 32.9 per cent market share.

HP also led both consumer and commercial segments with shares of 33.0 per cent and 32.8 per cent, respectively.

Dell Technologies moved to second position with a 21.8 per cent market share with 45.4 per cent YoY growth in 1Q21. It slipped to third position in the consumer segment as its shipments declined 49.5 per cent from the previous quarter. However, it maintained its lead in the enterprise segment with a 40.9 per cent share and secured the second position in the overall commercial segment.

Dell was followed by Lenovo and Acer Group with a 20.1 per cent and 7.7 per cent market share, respectively. Asus tied with Apple for the fifth position with a 5.4 per cent market share each.

Jaipal Singh , Associate Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India, said, “PC vendors are staring at uncertainty for the next few months, with new lockdowns impacting consumer sales, delaying government projects, and limiting supplies into the country. Additionally, the current Covid situation has also impacted the field teams. While most vendors’ immediate concern is re-joining with full strength, they will also use this time to plan their inventory for the coming quarters, as we will see a further surge in the PC demand when the situation improves in the coming months.”

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