PC Shipments See a Bump in US, But Don't Get Too Excited

Global PC sales didn't exactly rebound in the second quarter, but the US did see an uptick in shipments compared to the same time period a year ago.

In the US, shoppers gravitated to machines from HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Acer, according to IDC, which puts US shipment growth at almost 5 percent. Gartner, which also released Q2 stats this week, was a little more conservative at 1.4 percent.

As IDC points out, the expiration of free Windows 10 upgrades may entice some consumers to buy new systems, rather than update older ones. The back-to-school rush, meanwhile, could be good news for Chromebook vendors, IDC suggests.

Just don't get your hopes up for a resurgence of desktop computers and laptop notebooks.

"Even the best case scenario calls for PCs to face significant challenges, with a somewhat fragile stabilization in the long run," IDC research manager Jay Chou said in a statement. "The better-than-expected 2Q16 results should not be interpreted as a harbinger of significant improvements for PCs."

The European, Middle Eastern, and African markets showed hints of short-term stabilization, thanks in part to budding interest in notebooks. Meanwhile, Ramadhan observance and a weaker Yen dampened demand in Asia, IDC reported.

And so the US remains the silver lining, offering a glimpse of what the market could look like "with pockets of growth and a stronger overall environment," Loren Loverde, vice president of IDC Worldwide PC Trackers and Forecasting, said. "It's not dramatic growth, but it could push the market into positive territory slightly ahead of our forecast for 2018."