According to Gartner, global PC shipments total 51.6 million units in Q1 2020-- a -12.3% Y-o-Y decline, the sharpest since 2013, and the direct result of the coronavirus pandemic after three consecutive quarters of growth.
The decline, of course, affect the EMEA market as shipments are down by -7% Y-o-Y to 16.8m units. Gartner says such decline is likely to continue throughout 2020, as the end of Q1 2020 saw a dramatic drop in both business and consumer PC purchases due to intense coronavirus lockdown measures across various countries in the region.
“The single most significant influencing factor for PC shipment decline was the coronavirus outbreak, which resulted in disruptions to both the supply and demand of PCs,” the analyst says. “Following the first lockdown in China in late January, there was lower PC production volume in February that turned into logistics challenges."