Analyst Gartner has reported that 2023 was the worst year in PC history, declining 14.8% in 2023. It said 2023 represented the second year in a row with a double-digit decline, where worldwide PC shipments totalled 241.8 million units, down from 284 million units in 2022.
Lenovo, the market leader, shipped 59.7m units in 2023, a decline of 13.5% over 2022. HP shipped 52.9m units, representing a decline of 4.5% over the figures for 2022.
The third-largest PC maker, Dell, shipped 40.2m units, 19.5% less than in 2022, while fourth-place Apple saw an 18.5% decline.
The data comes at a time when PC makers are desperate to capture new AI-fueled user computing initiatives. During the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Lenovo unveiled a line of Yoga laptops, the Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i (16”, 9) and the Lenovo Yoga 9i 2-in-1 (14”, 9).
Positioned as premium laptops, they feature the latest Intel Core Ultra Processors, a physical Lenovo AI Core Chip that powers what Lenovo claims is “robust AI functionality” and more powerful batteries.
The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i also includes software called Lenovo X Power, which uses machine learning to improve 3D rendering and film colour correction by allocating processing power to optimise performance, battery life and cooling efficiency. Both models also feature a Copilot key, providing faster access to Copilot in Windows 11.
Dell refreshed its XPS notebook PC range. The high-end model, the XPS 16, features the latest Intel Core Ultra processors and Nvidia GeForce RTX graphics processing units (GPUs) – up to the GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. This machine is targeted at application areas such as editing videos and testing artificial intelligence (AI) software.
HP introduced its HP Spectre x360 14-inch 2-in-1 Laptop PC and the HP Spectre x360 16-inch 2-in-1 Laptop devices, both optimised for AI.
The new XPS family includes what HP calls a neural processing unit (NPU) that, according to HP, means the laptop no longer needs to rely solely on the central processing unit (CPU) or GPU for processing and performance.
It also introduced new thin clients during the week of CES. The HP Elite t755 Thin Client offers what HP claims is 77% increased CPU performance. There is also a zero-trust version, HP tz655 Trusted Zero Client. The company positions both devices as being ideal for multi-user workspace environments or remote work setups, enabling employees to work productively on performance-intensive projects while data remains secure.
These thin client devices feature physical intrusion detection technology; continuous security risk monitoring with HP Anyware Trust Center and HP ThinPro OS lockdown and HP Write Manager for defence against cold-boot attacks with full memory encryption via AMD Memory Guard.
Enterprise IT has until October 2025 to upgrade devices from Windows 10 before Microsoft ends mainstream support. As the end-of-support date gets closer, many IT departments will likely consider over the next 12 months how best to take forward their user computing strategy and plan for a PC refresh.