The total worldwide PC market, including tablets, witnessed significant growth in Q1 2021 with shipments up by 53.1 per cent year-on-year at 122.1 million units, according to data from Canalys.

According to the report, the PC market revival was led by strong growth in Chromebooks and tablets which posted 274.6 per cent and 51.8 per cent growth, respectively, with first-quarter shipment volumes of 12 million and 39.7 million units.

Lenovo topped the charts in PC shipments, gaining a 19.7 per cent market share. It was followed by Apple, which held an 18.1 per cent market share. HP, Dell and Samsung rounded up the top with 15.8 per cent, 10.7 per cent and 8.0 per cent market share, respectively.

Top players in Chromebooks

In terms of Chromebooks, HP topped the market with a 36.4 per cent market share. It was followed by Lenovo with 3.1 million units shipped, gaining a 25.9 per cent market share. It was followed by Acer, Samsung and Dell that had 11.9 per cent,10.0 per cent and 8.4 per cent market share, respectively. “Chromebooks are well and truly a mainstream computing product now,” said Brian Lynch, Canalys Research Analyst.

“While the education sector still accounts for the majority of shipments, their popularity with consumers and traditional commercial customers has reached new heights over the last year. Google is now in a strong position to work with its OEM partners and the channel to cement a rosy future for Chromebooks. A substantial messaging and evangelization push coupled with the targeting of growth trends, such as flexible work arrangements and budget-conscious SMBs, will be vital to ensure the longevity of Chromebooks’ success,” added Lynch.

Growth in tablets

When it comes to tablets, almost all the top tablet vendors witnessed continued shipment growth in Q1 2021. Apple extended its lead, growing 50.3 per cent and shipping 15.2 million units, gaining a 38.2 per cent market share. Samsung maintained second place with a 20.1 per cent market share and 8.0 million units shipped. It was followed by Lenovo and Amazon with a 9.5 per cent and 8.7 per cent per cent market share, respectively. Huawei came in fifth with a 5.4 per cent market share.

“The tablet market continues to defy expectations with the strength of its comeback,” said Canalys Research Analyst Himani Mukka.

“At a time when the overall PC market is facing a supply crunch, the vendors that have strong tablet offerings have been able to squeeze out even greater gains from the increased demand for screen access and remote productivity brought about by the pandemic. Canalys expects this trend to develop as tablets become mainstays in growing sectors such as education as well as in wider commercial deployments to support digital transformation,” added Mukka.

Published on May 6, 2021