The PC market will revive, and the supply shortage will not ease until the next year

According to Reuters, hardware industry executives and analysts said that in 2020, the global inventory of laptops and desktops reached the highest level since 2007, and it will still take months for manufacturers to complete all orders.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, distance learning and office work disrupted the computer market, impacted smartphone sales, and at the same time increased people’s interest in larger devices. In the past 10 years, people’s interest in larger devices was second only to iPhones and iPhones. Android.

"The entire supply chain is tighter than ever before," said Gregg Prendergast, Pan American president of hardware manufacturer Acer.

In 2008, the global annual shipment of PCs was about 300 million units at its peak. It has recently fallen to 250 million units, and almost no one expected a recovery. However, some analysts predict that shipments in 2020 will reach 300 million units, an increase of about 15% over the same period last year, and the tablet will grow even faster.

According to data from research institution Canalys, by the end of 2021, personal computers and tablets will reach 1.77 billion units, up from 1.64 billion in 2019.

In order to meet this sudden increase in demand, a few large PC sellers in the world have added suppliers, speeded up shipments, and revealed that they will launch better models next year, but this is not enough.

Prendergast said that Acer has been digesting the cost of shipping notebook computers directly to education customers by air, abandoning ships and trains, and shortening one month's delivery time. However, due to the backward assembly line, some customers have to wait four months before they can ship.

Analysts said that parts including screens and processors are difficult to buy because many factories were closed long before the virus broke out. They added that if it were not for supply issues, the sales forecast for 2021 would be higher.

Canalys analyst Ishan Dutt remembers that in April this year, a customer told the supplier that any device with a keyboard would work as long as the delivery time is within a week. This urgent need has faded, but people now want to upgrade, maintaining pressure in the industry.

International Data Corporation (IDC) vice president Ryan Reith (Ryan Reith) said that before 2022, the additional stimulus funds of several governments for schools and businesses may exacerbate this tension.

Some computers that will be on the market in the next few months can meet the new demands. Analysts say that their cameras and speakers are more suitable for video conferencing. More models will be equipped with cellular chips to help user groups who frequently use mobile signals.

Dell President Sam Burd said this month that the industry's "renaissance" will soon see devices with artificial intelligence software to simplify tasks such as logging in and turning off cameras.