Apple's 40% PC Shipment Plunge Leads Tech Sales Slump

Apple's PC shipments dropped by 40.5% in Q1 2021, the steepest decline among major computer makers, as the demand surge driven by pandemic-era remote work evaporated. All PC makers combined saw a 29% decline in shipments to 56.9 million units, falling below early 2019 levels. Lenovo and Dell both registered drops of over 30%, while HP was down 24.2%. The slowdown in consumer spending over the past year has led to double-digit declines in smartphone shipments and an accumulating glut among the world’s foremost memory chip suppliers. However, cooling demand is giving manufacturers time and room to make changes as many factories begin to explore production options outside China.