According to new estimates from Gartner, global PC shipments grew to 10.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2020, bringing total shipments to 275 million for the past 12 months, by far the best year for PC manufacturers since 2015.

The direct consequence for the surge in PC demand can be attributed to the Covid-19 pandemic as offices and schools were forced to make work and learning home-based hence many professionals and students opting to update their hardware to be able to work or study in the best possible conditions.

Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner, explained that prior to 2020, consumers were more phone-first focus, yet the pandemic reversed the PC trend based on its importance to consumers both old and young.  “PCs have resurfaced as an essential device as consumers, including younger children, are relying on them to for work, school, socializing and be entertained from their homes.”

Here is an estimated worldwide shipment of Personal Computers from 2006 till 2020;

In addition, companies that led in sales of personal computers in 2020 include Lenova at number one with a shipment of 72.6 million PCs (+12% year-on-year), ahead of HP (67.6 M, +7.5%), Dell (50.2 M, +8.1%), Apple (23.1 M, +29.1%) and Acer (20.9 M, +22.9%).