Excluding China, the traditional PC market would have grown 2.8% in 2024 but China’s economic woes have hit traditional PC buying although Huawei has kept domestic demand for tablets alive.
Worldwide, traditional PCs are forecast to grow 4.3% y-o-y in 2025 as the end of support for Windows 10 drives a refresh cycle, however this is also expected to present an opportunity for Apple to gain market share – growing from 9.1% in 2024 to 9.7% in 2025 and 10.2% in 2026.
AI PC adoption will largely be driven by the need for new PCs as opposed to a specific need for AI PCs.
“AI has yet to be a purchase driver among PC buyers,” says IDC’s Jitesh Ubrani, “businesses recognise the importance of AI, though many struggle to see the immediate use case and instead are opting for AI PCs as a means to futureproofing.”
| Worldwide Personal Computing Device Forecast by Product Category, Shipments, Year-Over-Year Growth, and 2024-2028 CAGR (shipments in millions) | |||||
| Product Category | 2024 Shipments | 2024/2023 Growth | 2028 Shipments | 2028/2027 Growth | 2024-2028 CAGR |
| Tablet | 137.9 | 7.2% | 140.5 | 0.0% | 0.50% |
| Traditional PC | 261.0 | 0.3% | 280.7 | 0.6% | 1.80% |
| Total | 398.9 | 2.6% | 421.3 | 0.4% | 1.40% |
| Source: IDC Worldwide Personal Computing Device Tracker, September 23, 2024 | |||||
Notes:
- Traditional PCs include Desktops, Notebooks, and Workstations and do not include Tablets or x86 Servers.
- Shipments include shipments to distribution channels or end users. OEM sales are counted under the company/brand under which they are sold.
