Desktop PC Sales Rebound as Pandemic Work Evolves
The bulky machines have long been losing their cachet, as sleeker, hipper, more mobile devices such as laptops and smartphones came to dominate the gadget market. Early on, the pandemic seemed likely to extend that trend, as people fled offices and schools and rushed to buy laptops for their temporary "remote" circumstances. Desktop PC sales plunged.
This year, though, desktop demand has jumped, as some employees returned to the office, and others cemented their work-from-home setups. Desktop shipments world-wide are expected to be up about 7% this year after dropping sharply during the first year of the pandemic, according to International Data Corp. Computer companies such as Dell Technologies Inc. DELL 0.52% and HP Inc. HPQ +0.42% say they have seen an uptick in global shipments, which had declined over preceding years.
"For many of those people working from home, they might have been OK with a laptop before. But they really want something that will be a large display, so that they're really productive," said Alex Cho, HP's president of personal systems. "They want a great keyboard and a mouse, dual displays."
Laptop demand also has remained hot, though annual shipment growth reported by IDC this year is expected to ease to 15% from the 29% surge in the first year of the pandemic.
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