THE PHILIPPINE personal computer (PC) market is forecast to grow 26.5% to 2.4 million shipments this year led by purchases for the education sector, according to the International Data Corp. (IDC).
This will reverse the year-on-year declines seen in 2022 and 2023, when shipments stood at 2.5 million and 1.89 million, respectively.
The five brands expected to lead the market this year will be Acer, Lenovo, HP, ASUS, and Dell, which are awardees of the Department of Education’s (DepEd) Computerization Program (DCP) in 2022, IDC Philippines Associate Research Analyst for Devices Research Roben Victor M. Dispo said in an e-mail.
IDC also expects Acer to retain its spot as the top performer by market share, Mr. Dispo added.
Acer Group led the Philippine market in 2023 with a 26.5% share selling 501,000 units in 2023. Lenovo followed with a 21.5% share, selling 408,000 units, while HP, Inc. and Dell Technologies held 12.8% and 7.6% shares, respectively shipping 243,000 and 145,000 units.
DCP is a government initiative that aims to provide public school teachers with laptops to enhance the teaching-learning experience.
Based on IDC’s latest Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker report, more than 490,000 laptops are expected to be delivered under the DCP via multiple deals announced since the end of last year.
Asked if last year’s Senate probe into the DepEd’s supposedly overpriced and outdated laptop purchases will affect 2024 shipments, Mr. Dispo said the DCP deals that will ship this year have already been awarded.
“DCP 2022 budget was already awarded last December and is already shipping during the first quarter of 2024. Unless DepEd calls for a rebid, the estimated projected shipments will stay the same,” he said.
Meanwhile, PC prices are expected to remain competitive as vendors will try to boost demand, but the actual impact of costs depends more on market dynamics, competitive pressures, and consumer behavior, Mr. Dispo said.
“However, a substantial rebound in both consumer and commercial sectors is unlikely due to ongoing macroeconomic uncertainty dampening demand,” he added. — Aubrey Rose A. Inosante
