‘AI PCs’ have not yet caused a dramatic turnaround in new PC sales in 2024. Will the PC market do better in 2025?
2024 was the year of the “AI PC,” or at least that’s what Microsoft and PC manufacturers tried to make of it. In the past year, all well-known brands released new laptop models with specialized hardware and integrated AI features. The hoped-for rush for AI PCs is yet to materialize, according to figures from Gartner.
The analyst firm publishes market figures for the fourth quarter of 2024. In it, sales of new PCs rose 1.3 percent compared to the closing quarter of 2023. So while the PC market has gradually recovered from the “post-pandemic dip,” manufacturers had hoped for faster growth. Gartner blames the limited impact of AI PCs on the high price attached to the devices, which keeps them out of reach of consumers.
Market leader Lenovo tightened its grip on the market and saw sales rise 4.2 percent and market share to 26 percent. The strongest gainer is Asus, which posted 9.8 percent growth, and Apple also had a strong quarter. There is less good news for routinarians HP and Dell, as they must once again cave in. Dell hopes to turn the corner in 2025 with a rearranged PC portfolio.

Refreshment cycle
2025 promises to be an important year for all manufacturers. This year should completely reverse the negative trend of recent years. Gartner anticipates a “refresh cycle” because of the imminent end of Windows 10, which will prompt many companies to invest in new PC equipment. Donald Trump’s import tariffs may yet put a stop to that.
According to Gartner, AI PCs will also benefit from the refresh cycle. But then we will need more attractively priced models on the market, as well as more use cases and features that demonstrate the value of AI PCs.
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