Notebook PC Delivered Strong First Quarter

With remote and hybrid work options and e-learning continuing worldwide, demand for Notebook PCs is at its highest, driving 81% year-on-year shipment growth, according to Strategy Analytics. Work-from-home demand and the notebook PC upgrade cycle were the main driving factors for commercial demand, while the consumer segment contributed with strong e-learning and gaming activity from home in the first quarter. All of this occurred despite supply chain shortages, meaning that there is still pent-up demand going forward in 2021.

“Chromebooks continued to dominate the education sector as primary education sector demand is still high in developed markets. The SMB market is also responding well to the cost competitiveness and manageability of the Chrome ecosystem, giving the OS a growing share of shipments in this segment and giving vendors a crucial chance to slowly raise prices and add features for the SMB/commercial world,“ said Chirag Upadhyay, industry analyst at Strategy Analytics.

“Vendors managed to deliver notebooks despite the ongoing components shortage and big vendors managed to fulfil large orders before their original delivery date. The emerging hybrid work pattern as well as the continuing need for learn-from-home devices added to consumer upgrade sales, making Q1 2021 the strongest first quarter after many years. The favorable comparison to the dire situation last year also helped with the strong growth figures,“ added Eric Smith, director of connected computing at Strategy Analytics.