Due to strong PC demand and recovery from COVID-19 related disruptions, the global PC market grew 13% in the third quarter of 2020 compared with the same period last year. Total units shipped are 79.2 million units, study published by Canalys. That’s the biggest growth in the last 10 years, the tech market analyst said.

“The second quarter of 2020 represented a short-term recovery for the worldwide PC market, led by exceptionally strong growth in EMEA,” said Mikako Kitagawa, research director at Gartner.

“After the PC supply chain was severely disrupted in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of the growth this quarter was due to distributors and retail channels restocking their supplies back to near-normal levels.

Press Release – Gartner

During 2020 shipments saw a weak first quarter, followed by a stronger second quarter that continued into the third quarter as well.

“Vendors, the supply chain, and the channel have now had time to find their feet and allocate resources towards supplying notebooks, which continue to see massive demand from both businesses and consumers,” Canalys analyst Ishan Dutt said in a release. Notebook shipments hit 64 million units worldwide due to stronger demand as the COVID-19 pandemic forced companies to ask employees continue working from home. Laptop and mobile workstation shipments rose 28.3% year over year. Desktops and desktop workstations, on the other hand, saw a 26% decline in shipments.

Source: Canalys

“The lasting effects of this pandemic on the way people work, learn and collaborate will create significant opportunities for PC vendors in the coming years,” added Canalys research director Rushabh Doshi.

“Although the focus has been on commercial PC demand in the last two quarters, consumer spending during the holiday season is set to bring more joy to the PC market.”