14.8 million PCs shipped in India in 2021: IDC

The Indian PC market registered a strong year with 11.6 million units shipped in 2021. According to International Data Corporation's (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, the market, inclusive of desktops, notebooks, and workstations, delivered a strong year with shipment growth of 44.5 per cent year-over-year (YoY) in 2021 (Jan-Dec). Remote working demand coupled with better supplies were the drivers for the market. The market continued to be optimistic as the vendors collectively shipped more than 4 million PCs in 4Q21 (Oct-Dec).

The notebook category was the volume driver with shipments reaching 11.6 million units. The desktop category, which saw a steep decline in 2020, managed a recovery with 30 per cent YoY growth due to strong demand from enterprises, SMB, and consumer segments.

“As schools and colleges continued to function remotely for a second consecutive year, the demand for a computing device became extremely important for students. Some of the students who were earlier using smartphones/tablets for their virtual classes opted for a PC for obvious benefits such as bigger screen and ease of usage” said Bharath Shenoy, Senior Market Analyst, PC Devices, IDC India.

Commenting on the ongoing momentum in notebook category, he added, “The consumer segment witnessed strong growth despite facing supply disruptions across the year. While the incumbent brands managed to get better allocations and ship bigger volumes of PCs, new brands that entered Indian market in the past few years struggled to get timely supplies, thereby struggling to fully capitalize on the market opportunity.”

HP Inc. continued to lead the overall PC market with a share of 31.5 per cent as its shipments grew by 58.7 per cent YoY in CY2021. It also led the market and had its biggest quarter ever in 4Q21 by shipping more than 1.3 million units. HP had a commanding share of 32.9 per cent and 30 per cent in the commercial and consumer segments in 2021 as they grew by 57.5 per cent and 60.1 per cent YoY, respectively. Strong demand coupled with consistent supplies helped the brand in managing substantial growth in both segments.

The second position was secured by Dell Technologies with 23.6 per cent share and 47 per cent YoY growth in CY2021, and it shipped more than a million units for a second consecutive quarter.

While it was a close second to HP in the commercial segment with a share of 29.8 per cent in 2021, it managed to stay ahead of Lenovo, but was a distant second in consumer segment. Dell Technologies also led the enterprise segment with a share of 38 per cent, driven by increased demand from Indian IT/ITES customers and its global accounts.

On the third spot, Lenovo had 17.4 per cent and 18.4 per cent share, respectively. While Lenovo managed an impressive growth of 22.8 per cent YoY in 2021 across segments, constrained supplies impacted its overall shipments. It, however, did perform well in SME segment, coming in second behind HP with a share of 24.7 per cent.

Acer Group retained the fourth position with an 8.2 per cent market share in CY2021 while it held a share of 7.7 per cent in 4Q21. As the desktop category made a comeback of sorts in 2021, Acer was one of the main beneficiaries due to its established commercial desktop business.

ASUS also maintained its fifth position with a share of 4.4 per cent in 4Q21 and 5.9 per cent in CY2021 as it grew by 36.1 per cent YoY in 2021. While it managed a healthy growth in the consumer segment in 2021, it started making inroads in the commercial segment, growing a staggering 227.2 per cent YoY.

“The market witnessed unprecedented demand for PCs in last two years in both the commercial and consumer segments, but demand is expected to soften in 2022. While digitalisation and remote working are expected to be primary drivers for the SME and enterprise segments, component shortages, supply challenges, and increased prices might continue to impact the government and education segments negatively, leading to further delays in projects. We may also witness some traction for the newer vendors in the consumer segment as supplies start improving in the second half of the year,” said Navkendar Singh, Research Director, Client Devices, IDC India.

Also Read: Russia-Ukraine conflict: Vladimir Putin in focus amid West's sanctions

Also Read: Guarantee your income, no matter what the circumstances