Computer sales see a slight decline after two strong years

Worldwide computer sales show a 7.3% decline in Q1 2022. — AFP Relaxnews

Some 77.5 million PCs were sold worldwide in Q1 2022, down 7.3% from the same period in 2021, Gartner reports. A sharp drop in Chromebook sales contributed significantly to this first market downturn in two years.

The Covid-19 pandemic boosted Chromebook sales particularly in 2020 and 2021, when students or employees had to work from home much more than before. At the time, these high-performance but relatively inexpensive computers satisfied a strong demand. This demand has, unsurprisingly, subsided today, with a significant impact on overall PC sales.