PC shipments strong as vendors get ahead of tariff deadlines

PC shipments during the second quarter of 2025 grew 6,5% from the prior year, with global volumes reaching 68,4-million shipments, according to preliminary results from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker.

Despite PC market growth in other geographies, the US market is starting to feel the pinch of import tariffs.

“We expected the US market to cool down this quarter given the inventory buildup to begin the year, but what we’re witnessing here might highlight US PC demand slowing down in anticipation of the import tariffs looming deadline,” says Jean Philippe Bouchard, research vice-president with IDC’s Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers.

“Despite a flat US PC market, the rest of the world demonstrated an appetite for PCs, fueled by an aging installed base and by a steady transition to Windows 11.”

“We realize growth in such an indeterminate market seems odd, but many factors come into play supporting the momentum,” says Ryan Reith, group vice-president with IDC’s Worldwide Device Trackers. “The supply side of the industry is doing its best to navigate the unknowns as no one wants to sit on their heels and potentially miss an opportunity, but at the same time it is very risky carrying inventory which is a possibility given the strong first half sell-in.

“The bigger concern is what overall demand looks like as we get late into Q3 and beyond. Price increases will likely be dispersed over time and geography depending on vendor strategy which can potentially lead to some attractive promotions as a way to clear inventory backups, which seems odd at a time when prices are expected to rise because of tariffs.”