The latest analysis from Canalys indicates that worldwide shipments of desktops and notebooks are up 3.4 per cent year-on-year.
The figures show laptops improved by four per cent and desktops by a per cent, setting the stage for further growth this year.
Canalys principal analyst Ishan Dutt said: “ The PC industry is going from strength to strength with a third consecutive quarter of growth.”
The market turnaround coincides with exciting announcements from vendors and chipset manufacturers as their AI PC roadmaps become a reality.
The quarter ended with the launch of the first Copilot+ PCs powered by Snapdragon processors and more clarity around Apple’s AI strategy.
Dutt noted signs that a Windows upgrade is starting to drive customer investments.
“Beyond these innovations, the market will start to benefit even more from its biggest tailwind, a ramp-up in PC demand driven by the Windows 11 refresh cycle,” he said.
Lenovo remains the largest vendor, followed by HP and Dell. Dell reported a 2.4 per cent decline in shipments. Asus had a strong quarter, with 17.3 per cent growth, just behind Apple.
AI-capable PCs are expected to account for 10-15 per cent of sales this year. Leading hardware vendors have announced new products for the market now and in the second half of the year.
Canalys forecasts that 19 per cent of PCs shipped this year will be AI-capable, with this rising to 60 per cent by 2027.
Most AI-enabled PCs will be sold to business customers by 2027.
