Computer sales grew at the slowest rate since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic due to component shortages and logistics snarls, according to the latest report by International Data Corp (IDC).
The key US market shrunk for the first time since sales cratered in the first quarter of last year with the spread of the pandemic, the market researcher said.
Shipments in the US in the third quarter fell 7.5 percent from a year earlier, while the industry recorded overall growth of 3.9 percent.
Apple Inc, whose supply chain is among the most resilient, saw 10 percent annual growth, while Dell Technologies Inc marked a 27 percent jump, with the help of developing markets, IDC said.
The pandemic accelerated a transition to distance learning and remote working, and that demand boost has endured, pushing sales up by double-digit percentages every three months until the third quarter, which was marked by an intensifying shortage of basic components and delays in securing orders.
“The PC industry continues to be hampered by supply and logistical challenges and unfortunately these issues have not seen much improvement in recent months,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC’s Mobile and Consumer Device Trackers. “We are seeing some vendors reprioritize shipments among various markets, allowing emerging markets to maintain growth momentum while some mature markets begin to slow.”
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