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The COVID-19 pandemic proved to be a “big win” for notebooks in Asia Pacific with Lenovo leading the pack.
According to a report by analyst firm IDC, shipments of notebooks grew by 12.4 per cent to 65.8 million units shipped in 2020 with strong demand fuelled by work-from-home and online learning.
However, due to supply issues, the overall PC market flatlined during the pandemic, growing at just 0.3 per cent year-over-year to reach 103.8 million units.
Chinese vendor Lenovo led the market, taking a 30-per cent share, followed by HP with 14 per cent and then Dell with 13 per cent.
Lenovo experienced shipment growth of 2.4 per cent and almost 20 per cent growth in the consumer market.
But a decline in demand for desktops caused the commercial segment to suffer. The small- to medium-sized business and education sectors drove Lenovo’s increase in commercial notebook sales in 2020.
Meanwhile, HP’s shipments fell by 4.1 per cent amid the declining desktop demand, as did shipments for Dell, which sunk by 5.2 per cent.
Regardless, IDC expects shipment numbers to grow by 8 per cent in 2021, as strong demand continues while supply shortages are expected to ease, leading to inventory replenishment.
The consumer and education segments will remain the key drivers behind the growth in the PC market in APAC, with households likely to spend money on technology in absence of international travel, according to the analyst.
The market is also expected to see ongoing education projects, as governments continue to invest in hybrid learning environments.
“Despite the COVID-19 vaccination programs underway, many restrictions are likely to persist throughout the year, which is expected to continue to drive spending on technology from both businesses and consumers,” said Maciek Gornicki, senior research manager for client devices research at IDC Asia/Pacific.
IDC's APAC notebook shipment growth forecast follows the firm's prediction that shipments in the global traditional PC market — defined by IDC as desktops, notebooks and workstations while excluding detachable and slate tablets — will rise this year by 18.2 per cent, to 357.4 million units.
