As demand tapered, retailers continued to offer aggressive promotions to reduce the growing inventory. Vendors also incentivised channel to take on more stock.

The decline was due to the decline in consumer demand, growing inflation concerns, and excess inventory levels.

Shipment volumes remain well above pre-pandemic levels when PC volumes were largely driven by commercial refreshes.

Tumultuous times are ahead for the PC and tablet markets, according to a new forecast from the International Data Corporation.

The IDC says global shipments of traditional PCs dropped by 15.3% year over year, to only 71.3 million units in the second quarter of 2022.

Shipments of traditional PCs, including desktops, notebooks, and workstations, declined 5.1% in the first quarter of 2022, but exceeded earlier forecasts.

This is the first year-over-year decline following six consecutive quarters of growth. For the year, PC shipments reached 339.8 million units in 2021, a 9.9% increase from 2020.

"Consumer need for PCs in emerging markets and global commercial demand remained strong during the quarter with supply being a gating factor."

Global shipments of PCs, including tablets, fell by 2% to 122.1 million units, Canalys confirmed in new research.

Shipments reached 86.7 million units in the third quarter of this year, marking the sixth consecutive quarter of growth.

Notebook and mobile workstation shipments, in particular, had a good quarter, growing 15% year on year in Q2 2021 and reaching 66.7 million units.

Backlogs on orders from 2020, particularly for notebooks, were a key driver, though new demand is also a factor as smaller businesses begin their recoveries. 

Demand for education devices and continued switches from desktops to notebooks has driven an increase in notebook sales leading to the strongest year of PC shipments on record.

Worldwide smartphone shipments could achieve a 5.5% growth rate this year - and PC shipment rates will also grow 18.2%.

Total shipments in 2021 are expected to hit 496.8 million units, with all categories enjoying growth. 

“The growth momentum enjoyed by tablets shows just how important easy access to computing power has become in the current time."

The ongoing surge in PC demand is expected to continue as work from home and remote education needs mix with the holiday spending season. 

PC market shipments grew 13% in the third quarter of 2020, breaking a 10-year record, according to new figures released by Canalys. 

“The commercial market saw huge demand as businesses, government, and students all moved to working from home and online learning."

While this recent surge in PC and tablet demand still has some legs, IDC expects the PCD market to decline in 2021 as businesses and consumers continue to deal with the economy uncertainty brought on by the pandemic.

Global shipments of tablets reached 37.5 million units in Q2 2020, a 26% year-on-year increase, according to new figures from Canalys.

The dip in yearly revenue was offset by an 89% increase in operating profit, increasing from $232,344 in FY18 to $440,741 the following year. 

“COVID-19 has given the PC industry a boost. Despite the progress that smartphones and tablets have made in recent years, the need for a high-performance mobile computing device has never been more pronounced."

"The global economy will face challenges as consumers and businesses cope with financial hardship among other losses, as countries around the world continue to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic."