EMEA PC Market Growth to Continue in 3Q21

EMEA shipments of traditional PCs will reach 95.8 million in 2021, a 13.2% growth, according to research by IDC. This includes 24.1 million PC shipments (+11.4%) in 3Q21. This can be attributed to ongoing demand in both the consumer and commercial markets, and the fulfillment of backlogs.

In Western Europe, the commercial market is forecast to grow by 24.8% Q3 and by 2.9% in Q4. This continued growth can be seen in a recovery on the desktop side, on a use-case basis across all segments. On the notebook side, demand is expected to remain substantial as digitization projects and hybrid working methods become more established.

"The second half of 2021 will bring continued growth in the PC market, and while sustained notebook strength is anticipated, growth in the desktop market is expected for the first time since 1Q20," said Simon Thomas, research analyst, IDC Western Europe Personal Computing. "Growth will be primarily driven by government and enterprise, which will equip their employees as they return to the office and invest in digitalization projects. This forecast growth comes despite ongoing component supply issues, which are expected to continue well into 2022.

The Western European consumer market is forecast to see its sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth in 3Q21 (+10.3%). This marks another quarter of substantial growth on top of a solid 2020 performance, as 3Q20 saw a robust consumer performance. The consumer market will be driven by its notebook performance, which is anticipated to post growth of 12.9%. This will come as a result of the continued transition to one device per person. Desktops are expected to decline (-1.8%), as the ending of lockdowns quells gaming demand, after strong shipments while consumers were stuck indoors.

The PC market in the CEE and MEA regions is expected to post performances of +0.8% and -1.5% respectively. For the full year of 2021, the CEE region is expected to grow by 8.9%, and the MEA region is forecast to grow by 9.6%. The CEE region is forecast to ship 4.5 million units in 3Q21, with the recovery of enterprise expected to be the main driver of shipments, while education slows after a strong 2020. The MEA region is expected to see 3.3 million units shipped, with the most significant growth coming from enterprise and government demand.

"The consumer market in the CEE region is expected to be weaker at -1.5% as consumer spending has been diverged from PCs during the summer seasons. The schools are expected to be opened and be fully functional by September, as lockdowns have been lifted across most countries in the region," said Stefania Lorenz, AVP at IDC EMEA. "The MEA PC forecast, along with the CEE region, has been revised downward for 3Q21 to -1.5%, due to weak consumer demand. The consumer segment is expected to drop to -14.6%, mostly due to the expected supply issues as well as weaker demand as summer spending shifts to other areas. The commercial market, however, is expected to remain strong, with growth of 14.7%