According to the latest figures from the analyst firm IDC, sales of desktop PCs and notebooks in the first quarter were 29 percent below the same period last year. Canalys market researchers painted an even more troubling picture for the industry, with a full 33 percent drop. The problem is not only the poorer sales to consumers, but also the enormously increased inventories.
“Although channel inventory levels have been declining in recent months, they are still well above the healthy four to six week range,” said IDC’s Jitesh Ubrani. “Even with deep discounts, distribution channels and PC makers must expect high inventory levels to persist through mid-year and possibly into the third quarter.”
Apple hit hard
An easing of the situation is also made more difficult by the meanwhile quite long product cycles. During the pandemic, many consumers upgraded their technology at short notice and are now likely to be absent from buying for years. Because notebooks are used for three to five years, depending on the class, with desktops the range is often significantly longer at three to eight years.
Market researchers recently recorded the sharpest slump at Apple. Sales figures here fell by more than 40 percent. However, this is mainly due to the fact that the manufacturer was able to buck the negative market trend for a long time after the introduction of the new models with the in-house M chip series. Normalization is currently taking place here as well.
See also:
- PC market crash continues unabated, no signs of stabilization
- Inventory levels are above healthy range
- Product cycles make it difficult to ease the situation
- Apple records the sharpest slump in sales figures
- Market researchers expect the trend to continue until autumn
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