Worldwide PC shipments totaled 59 million units in the first quarter of 2025, a 4.8 percent increase from the first quarter of 2024, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. PC shipments in the U.S. grew 12.6 percent, 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 U.S. and Japan, but for different underlying reasons. In the U.S., the PC market experienced a surge in shipments as vendors increased inventory in anticipation of tariff announcements, resulting in 12.6 percent year-over-year growth,” stated Rishi Padhi, research principal at Gartner.
U.S., Japan drive demand
Despite the increase and the subsequent strong topline growth in the U.S., 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 percent. Rishi explained that vendors participating in the GIGA education Chromebook replacement program capitalized on this opportunity by offering upgrades to older devices, thereby sustaining momentum in the market.
Due to the surge in U.S. PC shipments in Q1, subsequent quarters this year are likely to see a slowdown as inventory levels normalize and customers face higher prices, said Canalys in a recent analysis. By the end of 2025, most major PC vendors are expected to have completed the shift of U.S.-bound shipments out of China, aiming to enhance supply chain resilience and mitigate the impact of tariffs.
For example, in their latest earnings call, HP CEO Enrique Lores stated that 90 percent of the company’s products sold in the U.S. would be made outside of China by the end of this year.
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Lenovo marks strongest growth rate
The report revealed that 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 percent year-over-year, while Acer experienced the slowest growth at 1.9 percent.
HP’s market share hit 21.6 percent, ranking it as the second largest vendor in Q1. Meanwhile, Dell Technologies and Apple occupied third and fourth places. In the U.S. market, HP was in the top spot with 25.1 percent market share, followed by Dell with 23.9 percent of the market. Lenovo ranked third while Apple came in fourth.
