EMEA PC Market Poised for Fifth Consecutive Quarter of Double Digit Growth

EMEA shipments of traditional PCs will total 99.7 million in 2021, a 19.8% YoY growth, according to IDC. This includes 24.4 million PC shipments (+17.2%) in 2Q21, which is set to mark another quarter dominated by demand for devices for users to work, study and entertain themselves at home during lockdowns, and prepare for a hybrid working system moving forward.

The Western European commercial market is anticipated to see growth of 12.5% and is also expected to show double-digit growth in 3Q21. This will come from maintained demand in government, alongside ongoing education tenders across the region and in addition to recovery in the enterprise sector in the second half of 2021.

“PC market will continue its growth momentum in 2021, despite ongoing supply chain issues,“ said Simon Thomas, research analyst, IDC Western Europe Personal Computing. “The substantial proportion of demand is of course on the notebook side, carried by consumer desire for thin & light devices, and the commercial shift to mobile solutions - the pandemic’s impact on which will be seen for years to come.“

The Western European consumer market is expected to enjoy another quarter of robust growth in 2Q21 (+33.7%), despite a substantial performance in the same period last year, offering less favorable growth rates. Strength is expected in both desktop and notebook, with healthy gaming demand expected to bolster desktop units despite shortage in key components.

Growth of 16.3% is anticipated for overall consumer desktop. Gaming demand is expected to be seen on the notebook side too, in addition to the ongoing consumer shift towards one device per-person, fueling the expected growth of 36.7% in 2Q21.

The PC market in the CEE and MEA region is expected to maintain growth of 9.1% and 12.3% respectively in the second quarter of 2021. For the full year, PC growth is expected to grow by 14.2% in CEE and increase by 13.7% in MEA.

The CEE region is expected to ship 4.2 million units in 2021Q2, with the private sector expected to be a major driver across the region, while education demand slows. The MEA region is anticipated to see 3.3 million units shipped in 2Q21. As is the case in the CEE region, the most substantial demand in the MEA is expected to come from the private sector.

“Demand for PCs continues to be on the high trajectory on top of strong demand last year. Still, we do not expect to see the extraordinary growth rates in upcoming 2021 quarters as recorded at the beginning of the year as the market take off started in 2020Q2 with COVID pandemic. Both consumer and commercial sectors are foreseen to report good results across both regions. In the short term, a slowdown is expected in the education sector, however, not related to the lack of demand, but on the ability to ship the products thus causing projects to be postponed later in a year. Consumer shipments will remain high as vaccine distribution challenges fuel sustained demand“. Said Nikolina Jurisic, Senior Research Manager IDC Europe.