The CPU shortage and economic uncertainties are affecting the U.S. PC market
PC shipments in the U.S. slid during the fourth quarter of 2018. The 2018 decline was a whopping 4.5 percent when compared to the same period from 2017.
Mikako Kitagawa, a Gartner analyst, blamed the decline partly on market uncertainties and that the fourth quarter is “typically a buying season” for when businesses need to use up their remaining budget money by the end of the year deadline.
In the same released statement, Kitagawa also stated that buyers in the home office and small business segments “held off on some new PC purchases due to uncertainties around the political and economic conditions.”
The ongoing shortage of CPUs was also cited as a factor in the decline, as the shortage “affected vendors’ ability to fulfill demand created by business PC upgrades.”
Not all companies saw a decline in sales. Lenovo pulled off significant growth during the quarter with their sales rising 23.4 percent year over year.
That marked the third quarter in a row that Lenovo enjoyed strong growth in the United States PC market. It also solidified Lenovo’s position as the number 3 player in the market, just ahead of Apple and Microsoft.
With Lenovo’s steady stream of product launches over the past year, they have effectively spurred growth in the North American PC market. Lenovo still trails far behind the PC sales leaders, HP and Dell.
Hopefully, as more CPUs become more readily available, PC sales will once again increase.
As always, if we can be of help with your network or computer, give us a call here at RHYNO Networks. (855) 749-6648
