India’s PC market hit an all-time high in 2025, crossing a threshold it has never reached before — and the pandemic is part of the reason why.
Shipments of desktops, notebooks, and workstations reached 15.9 million units last year, up 10.2% year-over-year, according to IDC. That is the first time annual shipments have cleared the 15-million-unit mark, eclipsing the peaks recorded in 2021 and 2022.
The driver, according to IDC research manager Bharath Shenoy, is a wave of first-time buyers who got their initial PCs during COVID-19 lockdowns and are now replacing aging devices. Broader digitization, startup and small business adoption, and growing availability of devices in smaller cities have added to that momentum, he said.
India’s slice of global PC shipments has grown sharply as a result — from 3.3% in 2020 to 5.6% in 2025.
Who Is Buying
Commercial buyers drove the majority of shipments, accounting for 52.9% of the total. Consumer purchases made up the remaining 47.1%.
On the enterprise side, a Windows refresh cycle contributed to demand last year. Small and medium-sized businesses and some public sector organizations are now beginning to swap out older hardware, Shenoy said.
HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer, and Asus ranked among the top vendors in the market. Apple holds a smaller position — MacBook notebooks accounted for 5.6% of India’s notebook market in 2025, compared with roughly 11% to 12% globally and around 20% in the United States. That share peaked at 7.4% in 2022, up from 3.9% in 2020.
About 85% to 87% of Mac shipments in India come from consumers, Shenoy noted, reflecting limited enterprise traction for the brand. He said demand could get a boost from Apple‘s newly introduced lower-priced MacBook Neo, while Windows notebooks are becoming more expensive. The Cupertino firm is also working to expand its commercial footprint, which could help lift its market share, he added. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
What Comes Next
The premium notebook segment — devices priced above $1,000 — grew 8.2% year-over-year in 2025. AI-enabled features are beginning to appear in that tier, though they are not yet a meaningful purchase driver in India, Shenoy said. Enterprises that previously bought premium notebooks are migrating to AI-capable machines as prices converge, while content creators represent another potential demand source.
The outlook for 2026 is softer. PC shipments in India could fall roughly 5%, Shenoy said — better than the low double-digit decline expected globally, but a pullback nonetheless. Rising prices and component shortages are the primary pressures.
PC penetration in India sits at an estimated 17% to 20%, leaving substantial headroom compared with more mature markets. Shenoy said the market may remain under pressure into 2027 before stabilizing and returning to growth.
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