Global shipments of personal computers (PC) declined by 29 percent in the first quarter. The main reasons behind this are weak demand, excess inventory and uncertainty about the state of the economy. Due to this, American company Apple, which manufactures Mac computers, has suffered a big loss. Market research firm IDC reports that global shipments of PC declined to 5.69 crore in the first quarter of this year. It was Rs 8.02 crore in the same period last year. In the last quarter of last year, these shipments had declined by 28.1 percent on a year-on-year basis. Apple’s shipments declined the most in the first quarter by about 40.5 percent. The decline in shipments for Dell was 31 percent. Apart from this, Lenovo, Asustek Computer and HP have also faced decline in shipments in the first quarter. Apple had said in February that sales of its Mac computers had increased rapidly due to work from home during the pandemic. There has been a 29 percent decline in value in the last quarter on a year-on-year basis. IDC said, “The decline in demand has given device makers an opportunity to make changes in the supply chain. Many companies are exploring the possibility of increasing production outside China.” There is a possibility of slowdown in the economies of big countries. Financial crisis in some big banks and increase in inflation may hinder growth and investment. However, iPhone sales have been good for Apple. The number and value of iPhones made in India has increased in the last year. Apple is shifting production from China to diversify its supply chain and due to this the production of the company’s devices has increased in India. Recently, Counterpoint reported that shipments of iPhones manufactured in India increased by 65 percent last year on a year-on-year basis. Apart from this, the value of iPhone has increased by 162 percent. Last year, Apple’s share in the total shipments of smartphones from India was about 25 percent. About 85 percent of the iPhones sold worldwide are manufactured in China. However, this may reduce due to Apple’s efforts to shift its manufacturing out of China.
