Worldwide PC shipments totalled 59 million units in the first quarter of 2025, a 4.8% increase from the first quarter of 2024, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. US PC shipments grew 12.6%, reaching 16 million units in the first quarter of 2025.
“The growth in the PC market in the first quarter of 2025 was driven by the surge in shipments in two key markets, the US and Japan, but for different underlying reasons,” said Rishi Padhi, Research Principal at Gartner. “In the US, the PC market experienced a surge in shipments as vendors increased inventory in anticipation of tariff announcements, resulting in 12.6% year-over-year growth. Despite this increase and the subsequent strong topline growth, underlying end-user demand remained cautious, even with the added boost from enterprises upgrading PCs for Windows 11.
“In Japan, strong business PC demand driven by Windows 11 replacements, coupled with the adoption of Chromebooks, significantly contributed to shipment growth of 15.6%. Vendors participating in the GIGA education Chromebook replacement program capitalised on this opportunity by offering upgrades to older devices, thereby sustaining momentum in the market.”
There were no major changes in the top six vendor rankings worldwide in the first quarter of 2025. In worldwide PC shipments, Lenovo had the strongest growth rate among the top six vendors at 9.6% year-over-year, while Acer experienced the slowest growth at 1.9%.
