Revenue sales for notebooks and tablets continued to beat 2019 levels over the summer, with Wi-Fi 6-equipped notebooks performing particularly well, according to the latest data from CONTEXT, the IT market intelligence company.
CONTEXT’s Revenue Trend Index plots current performance for each category against a value of 100, with 100 being the 2019 average. It found that mobile PCs performed best, with notebooks hovering at around 120 on the index from week 25-36, while tablets are now at around 105.
Desktop sales through distribution remain well below the category’s 2019 average, at around 75. But while year-on-year revenue for notebooks (-2%) and tablets (-17%) fell in August, desktop sales recovered slightly to growth of +10.
Most European countries followed the same trends, with some recording significantly higher notebook sales revenues than 2019 and some near or in line with 2020 figures.
CONTEXT attributes the surge in revenue through distribution to sales of products with higher specs. Its analysis of notebooks equipped with Wi-Fi 6, the latest version of the wireless communication protocol, show that revenue sales accounted for just 16% of the total for the business category in May 2020. However, by early September 2021, that figure had soared to 70%.
In the consumer market, adoption was slower but increased steadily in the course of 2020 to stand at 57% of revenue sales by September.
Explaining the big increase in Wi-Fi 6-equipped notebooks, Marie- Christine Pygott, senior analyst at CONTEXT, said: “Of course, the figures are driven by more products with Wi-Fi 6 enabled by default coming onto the market. Supply also plays a role. But we can’t rule out the fact that commercial organisations and home users are demanding better connectivity for remote working, management and learning. Wi-Fi 6 not only boosts connection speeds but also improves networks when handling multiple devices — as many have in homes during the pandemic.” www.contextworld.com
Image courtesy of Acer
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