IDC analysts say there was a spike in demand for portable computers and tablets in the first quarter of the year, due to the isolation and teleworking situations forced by the coronavirus pandemic. The companies found themselves in the need to acquire equipment for their employees to continue exercising their functions, as well as the students who started to receive classes online. IDC predicts a one-third increase over the same period last year.
According to IDC researcher Malini Paul, many Western European distributors and retailers have had stock problems. The specialist points to a 15-20% cut in the distribution of equipment from China to Europe, due to the closure of factories in Wuhan, during the pandemic. More than 90% of portable computers and tablets imported into Europe are manufactured and assembled in China, says the researcher. IDC states that the same situation in the sector applies to Central and Eastern Europe, with an increase in demand due to the isolation of both companies and consumers.
In its forecast for the second quarter of the year, IDC states that production in China is now operational again, but the market will now suffer from the closure of borders in Europe; and international logistics, in the middle of gas, will reflect itself without the delay in the distribution of equipment. The expert's fear will understand whether the peak demand registered in the first quarter will be sustainable in the second, with some businesses becoming more fragile due to the pandemic and companies backing down on investment in computers.
In its forecast, IDC considers that the personal computer sector will not suffer as much from the rapid contraction in economic performance as it will in other sectors. The expert considers that computers are a key element in the productivity of workers who are at home. But on the other hand, many of the orders for computers for offices will be canceled, until this pandemic continues.
The company concludes that, at the end of March 2020, the personal computer market is down just 5% in Western Europe, but the impact will be greater in Central and Eastern Europe.
