U.S. PC market stalls in Q2, anticipating tariffs

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PC gross sales worldwide have steadily grown since late final yr. The U.S. PC market, nevertheless, has crashed again to earth.

IDC’s preliminary numbers for the second quarter of 2025 present flat year-over-year development of 0 p.c, versus 9 p.c for the remainder of the world. All informed, PC shipments in the course of the second quarter of 2025 grew 6.5 p.c from the prior yr, with international volumes reaching 68.4 million shipments, in keeping with preliminary outcomes from the agency.

In line with IDC, the explanations are fairly easy: U.S. PC distributors made and bought extra PCs than anticipated as a hedge in opposition to looming tariffs. Now, the market expects these tariffs to start kicking in once more, with PC demand slated to drop off in the course of the second half of the yr. However nobody is kind of positive what the longer term holds.

“We anticipated the U.S. market to chill down this quarter given the stock buildup to start the yr, however what we’re witnessing right here would possibly spotlight U.S. PC demand slowing down in anticipation of the import tariffs looming deadline,” mentioned Jean Philippe Bouchard, analysis vice-president with IDC’s Worldwide Cell System Trackers, in a press release. “Regardless of a flat U.S. PC market, the remainder of the world demonstrated an urge for food for PCs, fueled by an growing old put in base and by a gentle transition to Home windows 11.”

PC makers are juggling whether or not to construct for a possibility to reap the benefits of a down market, or threat getting caught with stock that it will possibly’t promote, added Ryan Reith, IDC’s group vice chairman.

“The larger concern is what general demand seems like as we get late into Q3 and past,” Reith mentioned in a press release. “Value will increase will seemingly be dispersed over time and geography relying on vendor technique which might probably result in some enticing promotions as a technique to clear stock backups, which appears odd at a time when costs are anticipated to rise due to tariffs.”

Lenovo continues to be the world’s high PC maker, with 24.8 p.c of the market. HP (20.7 p.c) and Dell (14.3 p.c) comply with behind, then Apple (9.1 p.c) and Asus (7.2 p.c). Apple confirmed the strongest development for the quarter, promoting 21.4 p.c extra PCs than the identical interval a yr in the past.