PCs began seeing an unprecedented surge in demand in 2020, but that won’t last forever. According to the latest forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, the overall shipments of PCs worldwide are expected to grow throughout 2021 before dropping off in 2022.
IDC predicts the shipments of personal computing devices to grow 14.2% to 347 million units in 2021. This figure is down from its earlier prediction in May of 18% growth. Supply constraints are the main reason for the decrease. IDC predicted growth in the tablet market as well, but at a much slower pace of 3.4%.
“We continue to believe the PC and tablet markets are supply-constrained and that demand is still there,” said Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Tracker. “The lengthening of the supply shortages combined with ongoing logistical issues are presenting the industry with some big challenges.”
During the 2021-2025 forecast period, all PC devices, including desktops, notebooks, and workstations, are expected to see a 3.2% rise while tablets are expected to decline by 1.5%. Despite short-term supply chain and logistical challenges, notebook PCs will remain the biggest driver of PC growth.
PCs played a huge role in consumers’ lives during the pandemic. They ensured safe working, learning, gaming and much more over the last one-and-a-half years. Even though things are slowly going back to normal, personal computing devices are expected to retain a central role in most consumers’ personal lives.
IDC predicted a much lower estimate for PC demand before the pandemic hit. “In November of 2019, we published our last prepandemic forecast, which stretched out to 2023. At that juncture, we projected a total market of 367 million units in 2023. Today, we are expecting over half a billion units of personal computing devices to be shipped that year.”
Forecasts suggest that the latter years of the 2021-2025 period will witness an increase in consumer spending on areas such as travel and leisure – categories that were most affected by the lockdown – instead of technology. However, even when that happens, the total demand for PC devices will still be greater than what it would have been if many people had not spent the last few months working, learning, connecting, and gaming online.
Affinity’s new all-in-one creative app is finally coming to the iPad, nearly a year after Canva launched the redesigned desktop version for Mac and Windows. Creatives have been asking for the iPad release ever since, especially because files created in the new Affinity app cannot be opened in the older V2 iPad apps.
Affinity already has Photo, Designer, and Publisher apps on iPad, but the new release combines those tools into the same unified app that Canva launched on desktop last year.
Touchscreen laptops have been around for years. You can get them in all sizes and shapes. Just not from Apple. For years, the Cupertino giant has treated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook the way I treat a meeting that could have been an email: with open contempt. However, Wednesday looks like the day the company could finally change its mind.
The latest Apple invite puts the “Pro and Tell” showcase in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on October 28, 2026. Instead of a regular live-streamed keynote, it is an invitation-only, hands-on event for a handful of press and creators (similar to what the company did for the MacBook Neo earlier this year).
Apple has just launched its latest iPad mini with a notable set of upgrades, including an OLED screen, improved speakers, and a more resilient build. It also gets a new chip, and the whole package costs $200 more than its predecessor. But if you look closely at Apple’s online store, you’ll realize that $699 isn’t enough to get you the most powerful version of the A20 Pro chip inside this tablet. In fact, even if you pay $800 for the 256GB model, you still won’t get the beefiest variant. Only when you jump to the 512GB trim, which costs an absurd $999, do you get the most powerful flavor of the A20 Pro.
The $999 model gets more than extra storage