Data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) has shown that Personal Computer (PC) shipments during the first quarter of 2025 grew by 4.9% year-on-year, with a global volume of 63.2 million unit shipments. Compared to Q4 2023 (68.9 million), this represents an 8.27% decline.
The report revealed that the performance stems from underlying demand factors for PCs, such as the installed base upgrade ahead of Windows 10 end of support and demand for on-device AI.
It added that the market was fairly affected by the tariff wars between the U.S. and the rest of the world.
“The market is clearly showing some level of pull-in in the first quarter this year as both vendors and end-users brace for the impact of US tariffs. In a first quarter still relatively untouched by tariffs, the entire ecosystem attempted to accelerate the pace of deliveries to avoid the first round of US tariffs and expected volatility for the remainder of the year,” said Jean Philippe Bouchard, research vice-president with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers.
In the breakdown of the top 5 companies in Q1 2025, Lenovo continued its successive fine run by recording the highest shipments of 15.2 million units and a market share of 24.1%. The company topped the global shipment tab with over 16 million units to claim about 25% of the total market share in Q4 2024.
Though the data showed a slight drop compared to Q4, its YoY rate rose by 10.4%.
Coming closely is HP with 12.8 million units and a share of 20.2%, followed by Dell with 9.6 million units, a market share of 15.1%, and Apple with a share of 8.7%, 5.5 million unit shipment.
On a broad view, Lenovo, Dell, HP, and Apple recorded a noticeable performance compared to a year ago – a further testament to the 4.9% YoY growth rate.
See Also: Lenovo leads as global PC sales grew by 1.8% in Q4 2024
| Top 5 Companies, Worldwide Traditional PC Shipments, Market Share, and Year-Over-Year Growth, Q1 2025 (Preliminary results, shipments are in millions of units) | |||||
| Company | 1Q25 Shipments | 1Q25 Market Share | 1Q24 Shipments | 1Q24 Market Share | 1Q25/1Q24 Growth |
| 1. Lenovo | 15.2 | 24.1% | 13.7 | 22.8% | 10.8% |
| 2. HP Inc | 12.8 | 20.2% | 12.0 | 20.0% | 6.1% |
| 3. Dell Technologies | 9.6 | 15.1% | 9.3 | 15.4% | 3.0% |
| 4. Apple | 5.5 | 8.7% | 4.8 | 8.0% | 14.1% |
| 5. ASUS | 4.0 | 6.3% | 3.6 | 6.0% | 11.1% |
| Others | 16.2 | 25.6% | 16.8 | 27.9% | -3.6% |
| Total | 63.2 | 100.0% | 60.2 | 100.0% | 4.9% |
| Source: IDC Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, April 8, 2025 | |||||
A brief look at the previous quarter shows that global PC shipments during Q4 2024 grew 1.8% from the prior quarter, with global volumes reaching 68.9 million shipments. For 2024, PC vendors shipped a total of 262.7 million PCs, up 1% from 2023.
This quarter’s growth follows four quarters of YoY growth, but analysts maintain that the market is still on track for recovery. The moderate decline was largely owing to unfulfilled demand for AI-enabled PCs and slower-than-expected upgrades ahead of the end of Windows 10 support in 2025, which has now taken effect.
While the tariff is now beginning to take a toll on the industry, IDC mentioned then that approaching administration change in the US, along with the threat of new and increased tariffs, has elevated the level of concern across the industry, with some brands looking to get ahead of the uncertainty.
PC market: what does the rest of 2025 hold?
At President Donald Trump’s Liberation Day speech on April 2, he announced sweeping tariffs of at least 10% on most goods coming into the United States.
China, the second highest exporter to the US behind Mexico, now faces a 54% tariff while Canada and the EU, also top trade partners, have vowed to hit back. With this, the rest of the year holds a poignant prospect for the PC market.
With uncertainties surrounding the US tariffs alongside inflationary pressures, the PC industry has been predicted to experience several tailwinds and headwinds, which make for a challenging outlook and difficult demand planning. In addition, global recessionary risks and other unforeseen economic downturns might negatively impact demand for PCs in the following quarters of 2025, according to the report.
“Commercial demand remained strong in the first quarter, but the new round of US tariffs announced on April 2nd could have a direct inflationary impact on the PC market that could result in delayed IT spending for the remainder of the year,” said Jean Philippe.
On the flip side, the tariff announcement gives companies a brief to re-strategise and plan their medium-term approach for the rest of the year. IDC explained that the supply chain checks haven’t shown any drastic shifts, but this isn’t surprising as it’s almost too volatile to make drastic business decisions.
“Companies are undoubtedly evaluating everything from inventory on hand, capacity to manufacture by location, possible reroute opportunities to lower import tariffs, and for some, their deal discussions with the US administration. When it comes to hardware like PCs and similar devices, we still maintain the view that most (if not all) price increases will get passed directly to the consumer,” said Ryan Reith, group vice president with IDC’s Worldwide Device Trackers.
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