2020 was the best year for PC shipments in a decade

From a manufacturer standpoint, Lenovo came in first, shipping 23 million units for the quarter and 72 million for the year. No surprise there, the company has been dominant in the space for years. Looking at the other top five players, what stands out is the quarter and year Apple and Acer had. Despite coming in fourth and fifth respectively, they experienced the most growth. In particular, Apple’s shipment volume grew by 45 percent annually and 16.6 percent year-on-year in Q4 2020. Canalys didn’t speak to Apple’s numbers specifically, but the combination of demand for WFH devices and pent-up enthusiasm for the company’s M1 Macs at the tail end of the year is almost certainly what helped push the company over the top. With more Apple Silicon computers on the way, the company is in a good position to continue growing its share of the market.        

With COVID-19 vaccines on the way, it might be tempting to think Lenovo, HP, Dell, Apple and Acer won’t be able to repeat, but Canalys is bullish on the industry’s prospects. “PCs are here to stay,” Research Director Rushabh Doshi declared. “Innovations in chipsets, operating systems, connectivity and form factors will take center stage as the PC industry caters to a broader range of customers that bring with them new behaviors and use cases,” analyst Ishan Dutt added.