The number of PCs being shipped around the world has dropped by 15.3 per cent year-on-year during the second quarter of 2022.

That's according to research from International Data Corporation (IDC), which notes that this is the second quarter in a row where shipments have dropped year-on-year. The outfit also says that this is a greater drop than it anticipated and has been the result of tight lockdowns in China – where a lot of PC hardware is made – as well as, er, "persistent macroeconomic headwinds".

It's not all bad, however. IDC points out that the volume of PC hardware shipped – 71.3 million units – is comparable to pre-pandemic levels of 74.3 million. 

"Fears over a recession continue to mount and weaken demand across segments," Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC's Mobile Device trackers, said.

"Consumer demand for PCs has weakened in the near term and is at risk of perishing in the long term as consumers become more cautious about their spending and once again grow accustomed to computing across device types such as phones and tablets."

Neha Mahajan, research manager at IDC's Devices and Displays team, added: "With education PC appetite saturating and consumer demand stagnating, the U.S. PC market is staring at another quarter of double-digit decline across most segments. Commercial PC demand is also showing signs of a slowdown, however there are still pockets of growth expected in certain commercial sub-segments where demand for low-mid range Windows devices remains active and unfilled."