Gaming, Remote Work Drove Record Notebook PC Demand

Gaming, Remote Work Drove Record Notebook PC Demand
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As remote working and e-learning continues worldwide, demand for Notebook PCs was at its highest ever in 4Q20, driving 54% year-on-year growth for notebook shipments, according to Strategy Analytics.

The Notebook PC industry picked up pace in the last quarter as consumer demand supplemented sustained work and school-from-home demand. There is no doubt that Notebook PCs are more personal for consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic, with multiple computing devices per household trending higher.

“While every vendor posted shockingly high notebook shipment growth during the quarter, there was an interesting trend behind the numbers. Gaming and Chromebook volumes were very strong; with e-learning still in effect and consumers looking for entertainment ahead of the cold winter months, buyers took advantage of great deals during the holiday season. Lenovo stacked those trends on top of meeting strong commercial demand to lead the market,“ said industry analyst Chirag Upadhyay.

The market saw 32% rise on an annual basis and 54% in the fourth quarter. Lenovo has shipped 17.9 million notebooks in Q4 and 54.9 during the whole year. The company had 24% annual growth and 47% in the last quarter. HP came in second with even bigger rise in shipments compared with 2019: 39% annual and 64% quarterly growth. Dell also saw excellent rise in shipments, with 28% annual and 65% growth in the last quarter of 2020. Apple posted 26% and 58% growth, while Acer rose 33% and 59%

Strain on the supply chain and rising component costs will be a key concern as demand is expected to stay high in 2021. Conversely, the world is still in a precarious place with controlling the spread of COVID and vendors must be prepared for the toughest of situations if worldwide commercial orders fall along with falling GDP and other patches of market uncertainty.