The computer market had a good first quarter, despite the worldwide shortage of semiconductor chips. The research firm Gartner estimates that the shipment of ‘traditional computers’, which means laptops and desktops, increased by 32 percent compared to Q1 2020 (via CNBC). IDC places the number even higher, with an estimate of 55 percent growth year-on-year. This seems to be the continuation of a trend – the computer market has also experienced a good 2020.
Both companies agree that growth is atypical – Gartner says growth is fastest since it began tracking the market in 2000, and IDC says the drop in shipments from Q4 to Q1 is the smallest since 2012. numbers are also impressive – Gartner estimates that just under 70 million computers were sent, while IDC estimates about 84 million.
Of course, these numbers do not exist in a vacuum – you may have realized that the period you compared to Q1 2020 was rough for … well, everything that includes the manufacture and shipping of computers. Although the growth equation has certainly been tilted in favor of the first quarter of 2021, both firms estimate that the numbers could have been even higher had it not been for a shortage of chips.
The shortage of silicon has affected almost everything, from trucks and cars, consoles and the market for PC components. There are even reports that Apple had to slow down production of MacBooks and iPads. IDC points out that the shortfall has contributed to higher average prices in the PC market, and that the shortages are likely to make PCs more difficult for the rest of the year.
It is also noteworthy that the pandemic is likely to affect demand as well, and that the return to normal on the horizon could affect people’s buying habits in future quarters. Whether the question will remain or not is not certain, but it looks like both IDC and Gartner will do.