Global sales of PCs in the first quarter suffered a sharp slump, according to preliminary findings from two industry research firms, as supply chains were hit by the coronavirus outbreak.
According to Gartner, 51.6 million PC units were shipped in the first three months of the year, down 12.3% from the previous year. It marks the biggest fall in shipments since 2013, and follows three consecutive quarters of growth for the market.
“The single most significant influencing factor for PC shipment decline was the coronavirus outbreak, which resulted in disruptions to both the supply and demand of PCs,” said Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner.
“Following the first lockdown in China in late January, there was lower PC production volume in February that turned into logistics challenges.”
It’s estimated that about a third of the world’s population is under some form of restriction due to the Covid-19 pandemic, as governments across the globe race to contain the spread of the disease.
China recently lifted Wuhan’s lockdown after the city closed its borders on January 23. Wuhan had been the epicenter of the pandemic, with more than 80,000 reported cases and 3,000 deaths.
Despite the need for remote working and online education increasing as more countries imposed lockdown measures, Gartner’s Kitagawa said that PC manufacturers had struggled to meet the demand.
