The analyst company Canalys has predicted that the global PC market will see 8% growth next year following a tough 2022 and 2023. It said that the market is on the verge of recovery following a huge seven consecutive quarters of decline.
The company said that the recovery will begin as soon as this quarter with an estimated growth of 5% thanks to a strong holiday season and an improving macroeconomic environment, namely that inflation is starting to drastically shrink. Over 2024, Canalys estimates that shipments will reach 267 million units, 8% higher than this year.
It put some of the growth next year down to the Windows refresh cycle and the emergence of AI-capable and ARM-based devices.
Commenting, Canalys Analyst Ben Yeh said:
“The global PC market is on a recovery path and set to return to 2019 shipment levels by next year. The impact of AI on the PC industry will be profound, with leading players across OEMs, processor manufacturers, and operating system providers focused on delivering new AI-capable models in 2024.
These initiatives will bolster refresh demand, particularly in the commercial sector. The total shipment share of AI-capable PCs is expected to be about 19% in 2024.
This accounts for all M-series Mac products alongside the nascent offerings expected in the Windows ecosystem. However, as more compelling use-cases emerge and AI functionality becomes an expected feature, Canalys anticipates a fast ramp up in the development and adoption of AI-capable PCs.”
The region with the predicted largest growth in 2024 is Latin America at 12.2% followed by the Middle East and Africa at 11.6%. The latter region also only declined 0.1% this year so that’s not too bad compared to other places.
The region will the smallest expected growth next year is Greater China at just 4.3% and it also contracted the most this year by a huge 18.0%. North America saw a decline of 9.7% this year but next year it is expected to grow by a decent 7.3%.
Source: Canalys