Global PC shipments up 4.8% in 2020

BEIJING - PC shipments worldwide posted robust performance in 2020, as social distancing orders for containing the spread of COVID-19 led to rising consumer demand, according to global research and advisory firm Gartner.

Total shipments of PCs across the world reached 275 million units in 2020, an increase of 4.8 percent from 2019 and the highest annual growth in a decade, according to the preliminary results of the company.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, worldwide PC shipments totaled 79.4 million units, jumping 10.7 percent year on year, data from Gartner showed.

Business PC spending remained weak in the fourth quarter of 2020, but in some regions like China where the economy has started recovering from the COVID-19 slump, business growth was slightly stronger, Gartner said.

This growth momentum of PC shipments is likely to continue through at least the first half of 2021, if changes in people's daily life such as online education and remote work persist in the post-pandemic era, according to Gartner.