PC shipments in India have surpassed the peak of the pandemic with users upgrading for the first time

India’s PC market saw its strongest year ever in 2025, outpacing the surge in demand during the Covid-19 pandemic as millions of first-time buyers who had purchased laptops during lockdowns started upgrading their machines.

Desktop, laptop and workstation shipments in India rose 10.2% year-on-year to 15.9 million units in 2025, according to analysts at IDC. The total represents the first time annual shipments have exceeded 15 million units, exceeding the peaks seen in 2021 and 2022.

The pandemic-induced lockdowns exposed many people in India to personal computers for the first time, expanding the country’s PC user base and creating demand for upgrades as those devices age, Bharat Shenoy, research director at IDC, told TechCrunch. He added that increasing digitization, increased adoption of computers among startups and small businesses, and wider availability of devices in small towns have also supported demand.

India’s share of global PC shipments rose to 5.6% in 2025 from 3.3% in 2020, according to IDC data shared with TechCrunch. Worldwide PC shipments rose 8.1% to 284.7 million units in 2025, according to a previous IDC report. The South Asian country remains one of the fastest growing PC markets as demand expands beyond major cities.

Business buyers accounted for 52.9% of India’s PC shipments in 2025, while the consumer segment accounted for the remaining 47.1%, IDC said.

Enterprise purchases were partly driven by last year’s Windows refresh cycle, while many small and medium-sized businesses and some public sector organizations are now starting to replace older hardware, Shenoy told TechCrunch.

HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer and Asus were among the top PC vendors in India last year, IDC said. However, Apple’s Mac computers have a smaller share of the PC market in India than US MacBooks, accounting for about 5.6% of India’s laptop market in 2025, compared with about 11% to 12% globally and about 20% in the US, according to IDC.

MacBooks’ share of India’s laptop market peaked at 7.4% in 2022, up from 3.9% in 2020, IDC data showed.

About 85% to 87% of Mac shipments in India come from the consumer segment, reflecting Apple’s limited presence in enterprise purchases, Shenoy said. The premium laptop segment — devices priced above $1,000 — grew 8.2% year over year in 2025, indicating continued demand for high-end devices.

Demand for Macs in India may see an uptick, Shenoy said, as Apple this week introduced a lower-priced MacBook Neo, while Windows laptops have become more expensive. He added that the Cupertino company is also focusing on expanding its presence in the commercial sector, which may help it gain market share.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment.

AI features are also starting to appear in premium laptops, although they are not yet a major driver of demand for PCs in India, Shenoy said. He added that many companies that previously bought premium laptops are now opting for AI-enabled PCs as they come within the same budget range, while demand from content creators could also support their adoption as digital media consumption rises.

Shenoy also noted that despite last year’s strong performance, the market may face near-term headwinds as rising prices and component shortages impact demand. He said PC shipments in India could decline by about 5% in 2026, compared to the lower decline expected globally.

India is still expected to perform better than many other markets due to relatively low PC penetration and demand volume, Shenoy told TechCrunch. PC penetration in the country is estimated at 17% to 20%, leaving plenty of room for growth as digital adoption spreads across homes and businesses.

Shenoy said the market may remain under pressure until 2027 before returning to growth as demand from businesses and consumers stabilizes.