Pandemic drives sales of connected PCs to record levels
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Faye Sutton
| 06 February 2021
Global sales of cellular-enabled mobile PCs reached more than 10 million units for the first time in 2020 as home workers sought improved connectivity during the Covid pandemic.

Dell Inspiron 5280 4According to the latest report from Strategy Analytics, global shipments increased by 70% to 10.1 million, the highest ever annual total. North America accounted for nearly half of 3G-, 4G- and 5G-enabled PC shipments, while Europe and Asia-Pacific accounted for 45%.

The report, Notebook PC Cellular Connectivity Shipment and Installed Base Forecast, estimates that more than 26 million cellular-enabled PCs are now in use worldwide, an increase of 25% in 12 months.

While 4G/LTE standards dominated the market in 2020, accounting for 97% of cellular-enabled PC shipments, 5G notebook launches in 2021 are showing a greater diversity in price points, form factors, and vendor participation, and Strategy Analytics expects 5G to build its share towards 69% by 2025. Strategy Analytics expects this growth will depend on improvements in customer education by vendors, carriers and retailers.

Industry analyst Chirag Upadhyay said: “What form new pricing plans take in the 5G world must be informed by a holistic view of the consumer, which devices they use where, and what they use them for. "

Eric Smith, director, Connected Computing Devices, added: “We see this is a ‘when’ problem, not an ‘if’ problem. Cellular connected notebooks will become more commonplace over the next decade but the key to when that happens lies in how industry players introduce the idea to consumers. A clear view into how users choose cellular plans is crucial for vendors, carriers, and even retailers to understand how to better educate consumer segments of more cellular-embedded options.”