While desktop shipments were down slightly by one per cent at 13.7 million units compared to Q4 2022, this was offset by shipments of notebooks, which were up four per cent at 51.6 million.
But over the whole year, PC shipments declined 13 per cent to 247 million units. However, Canalys believe that the market is now poised for growth, driven by AI-capable PCs, which will provide an additional boost during the ongoing refresh cycle and beyond.
Himani Mukka, research manager at Canalys, said, “2023 was a challenging year for the PC industry, but companies have remained resilient and can now look forward to an improving landscape. The cautious optimism across key players in the market has been borne out by a stronger holiday season compared to last year and inventory corrections in the previous quarters have helped support renewed sell-in. As macroeconomic conditions continue to improve, companies and individuals that have delayed their purchasing for many quarters are now set to resume spending on PCs.”
Ishan Durr, principal analyst at Canalys, added, “To capitalise on the demand uptick, the PC industry will now deliver meaningful innovation through on-device AI capabilities in PCs, with 2024 set to be a bumper year for such devices. A slew of announcements from both OEMs and chipset vendors at CES will set the stage for more products to be brought to market later in the year.
“We expect one in five PCs shipped this year to be AI-capable, incorporating a dedicated chipset or block, such as an NPU, to run on-device AI workloads. Adoption will ramp up quickly thereafter, especially in the commercial sector, where the benefits of on-device AI related to productivity, security and cost management will become a key consideration for businesses.”
By 2027, Canalys forecasts that more than 170 million AI-capable PCs will be shipped, with nearly 60 per cent being deployed in commercial settings.
With AI PCs poised to take centre stage in 2024, Canalys has released a special report to help understand the impact they will have. Now and Next for AI-capable PCs provides a comprehensive look into the dawn of AI in personal computing, including definitions and market projections alongside a deep dive into current trends, future opportunities and potential challenges in the AI PC market.
Meanwhile, Lenovo sealed top spot in the PC market rankings for the fourth quarter, shipping 16.1 million units and reporting three pre cent annual growth. It was also the largest shipping vendor for the full year, posting 59.1 million units.
HP, in second, recorded a six per cent year-on-year growth in shipments in the fourth quarter. Its annual shipments for 2023 amounted to 52.9 million units, a marginal four per cent decrease from 2022.
Dell retained its third position in both the fourth quarter and full-year rankings, shipping 9.9 million units and 40 million units, respectively. Apple secured fourth for the fourth quarter by shipping 6.6 million units globally, achieving nine percent growth. It also maintained fourth spot in the full-year standings, experiencing a 14 per cent decline, with total units reaching 23 million units.
Acer took fifth position with 12 per cent year-over-year growth, shipping four million units in the fourth quarter. Asus occupied fifth spot in the full-year rankings, totaling 16 million units and experiencing a 21 per cent annual decline.