Personal Computer Manufacturing Industry Profile

Companies in this industry produce desktop and portable personal computers (PCs). Major companies include Acer, Apple, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo.

The annual worldwide PC shipments reached about 245 million units in 2023, according to Canalys. Global growth has been hindered by competition from mobile devices, especially in emerging markets where a consumer's first connected device is likely to be a smartphone.

The US electronic computer manufacturing industry includes about 300 establishments, with a combined annual revenue of about $9 billion.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand in the PC market is driven by technological advances, disposable income in the consumer market, and corporate spending cycles. The profitability of individual companies depends on supply chain efficiency and ancillary products and services. Large companies have advantages in leveraging extensive marketing budgets and sales channels, securing component discounts, and manufacturing efficiencies. Small companies can compete by offering unique products or localized service and support. The US computer manufacturing industry is highly concentrated: the top 50 companies account for about 95% of industry revenue.

PRODUCTS, OPERATIONS & TECHNOLOGY

PCs come in a variety of shapes and sizes and may be customized for specific applications. As computer and communications technologies have advanced, the PC product category has diversified. Manufacturing of host computers (multiusers), account for more than 65% of the industry revenue. Manufacturing of large-scale computer systems account for about 16%, single user computers account for about 15%, while other computers account ...