Global spending on IT devices such as PCs, tablets and mobile phones plunged by 8% year-on-year (YoY) to $653-billion in 2020.
This figure is expected to recover to $705-billion in 2021, still $7-billion less than before the pandemic, according to data presented by AksjeBloggen.com.
After dropping for five years in a row, global spending on IT devices jumped to $665-billion in 2017, revealed the Gartner survey. The increasing trend continued in the next two years, with the figure rising to $712-billion in 2019.
However, Covid-19 triggered almost a $60-billion drop, with global spending on PCs, tablets and mobile phones falling to $653-billion in 2020. Although this figure is expected to rise by 8% and hit $705-billion in 2021, statistics show it will take another year for global spending on IT devices to reach pre-Covid-19 levels.
The Statista Technology Market Outlook data also revealed not all IT devices are expected to witness the same trends.
According to Statista data, revenues of the global mobile phones industry are forecast to grow by 5,7% and reach $504-billion in 2021. This year is also expected to witness a growing demand for laptops, with total sales revenue in this segment rising by 1,3% YoY to $142,1-billion. The TrendForce survey also revealed global laptop shipments are estimated to rise to over 216-million units in 2021, up from 200,5-million in 2020.
However, global desktop PC sales is set to plunge by 1.7% to $57.4bn in 2021. The tablets segment is forecast to witness the biggest drop, with revenues falling by almost 6% YoY to $37.5bn this year.
Although global spending on IT devices is set to continue rising in the following years, Statista estimates show significant differences in demand for certain products in this segment.
Mobile phone sales are expected to continue booming and generate $552,4-billion in revenue by 2024, a 9,5% increase in three years. As the two leading markets, China and the US are forecast to generate one-third of that value.
The global laptop market is also set to witness an increasing trend, with revenues rising by 4% to $147,9-billion in this period. Statistics show the combined revenues of mobile phones and laptop sales are expected to hit over $700-billion by 2024.
On the other hand, the downsizing trend in the desktop PC and tablet markets is set to continue in the following years. By 2024, desktop PC sales will generate $54,9-billion in revenue, a 4,5% drop in three years. The IDC data also showed a significant drop in global shipments, with the number of units falling from 76-million in 2021 to 73-million in 2024.
Revenues in the tablets segment are expected to plunge by 7,4% to $34,7-billion in 2024, with global shipments falling from almost 150-million in 2020 to 122-million in 2024.