China’s PC shipments nosedive 6 per cent amid weak demand

New Delhi, Sep 29
China’s PC shipments (including desktops, notebooks and workstations) fell by 6 per cent (year-on-year) to 9.1 million in the April-June quarter as weak demand continued.

The country’s PC shipments declined by 6 per cent in Q2, with the consumer and commercial sectors falling by 3 per cent and 9 per cent, respectively, as per a Canalys report.

Analyst Emma Xu said that the competitive dynamics of China’s PC market are rapidly increasing in complexity.

“Local AI regulations have constrained the full deployment of Microsoft’s Copilot in Mainland China. This is pushing vendors toward localised strategies to develop AI PCs, either by integrating in-house AI assistants or by building their own AI application ecosystems through collaboration with developers,” Xu explained.

The forecast anticipates 13 per cent penetration of AI-capable PCs in Greater China in 2024.

According to the report, vendors will need to make consistent portfolio investments to execute on their AI PC roadmaps and adapt their go-to-market strategies to be flexible and localised to the unique market requirements.

In contrast, tablet sales increased by 20 per cent to reach 7.8 million units in the April-June quarter, driven by increasing adoption and online promotions.

The tablet market is highly competitive, as more smartphone vendors expand their portfolios to include tablets, the report mentioned.

According to Xu, the AI opportunity is attracting more vendors from the education and Internet sectors into the devices market, driving the development of kids’ tablets with educational content in Mainland China.

To drive stronger business outcomes, vendors must focus on market expansion and differentiation to enhance user experiences and outcomes. Leveraging on-device AI models will be particularly beneficial in this regard, according to the report.