The double-digit growth in the smartphone market in the early quarters of 2021 came to an end in the third quarter of 2021 as worldwide shipments declined 6.7% year over year.
The growth in Q3 marks the sixth consecutive quarter of growth for the PC market as the onset of the pandemic has led to a surge in demand while also contributing to component shortages and other supply challenges.
Tablet shipments continued to be driven by the education sector due to large tenders from several LGUs to provide tablets for public school students in preparation for the school year.
The gaming market was on fire for years leading into the start of the pandemic in 2020 and things only accelerated as most people were spending more time at home and in front of screens.
Despite early signs of slower consumer tech spending, purchases of wearable devices remained strong during the quarter as consumers once again ventured outdoors with the urge to track their health and activity.
According to IDC, Chromebook shipments grew 68.6% year over year with volumes reaching 12.3 million units. The tablet segment was a bit more tempered than Chromebooks but still managed to grow 4.2% year over year with shipments totaling 40.5 million units.
According to IDC's latest survey, almost half (44%) of the respondents indicated the willingness to pay the ransom in hopes of retrieving affected files, either internally or through insurance payout.
