Top 3 Predictions for Devices in 2022

Devices demand to decelerate in 2022

Devices market will see growth return to pre-pandemic levels throughout 2022

Many thought the initial surge in devices demand would quickly fade after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that has not been the case. Revenue growth across the ecosystem, especially in PCs and tablets, has been much higher in recent quarters than traditional single-digit growth. However, this current elevation is unsustainable.

Over the past two years, the devices market has seen a major industry shift in supply and demand that has reshaped the ecosystem and has led to strong and consistent growth from most device vendors. It began with factory closures that hurt early 2020 supply chains and revenue growth, followed by a major spike in demand for devices used to entertain, work and learn from home during the pandemic. A shortage of components has led to this demand being unmet as of the end of 2021, leaving TBR to question whether vendors will be able to maintain revenue growth, unit sales and average unit revenues in the long term.

TBR expects a drop in demand and revenue growth by the end of 2022 due to these unsustainable conditions; however, other factors will emerge to help stabilize the devices market at pre-pandemic levels. These trends include continued revenue growth, albeit at a decelerated, low-single-digit pace rather than the 20%-plus year-to-year growth seen since mid-2020, as well as vendors’ releases of Windows 11 PCs and additional 5G device enhancements to drive refreshes in the coming year.

2022 devices predictions

• PC market growth unsustainable, will return to single digits in 2022
• Tablet market revenue growth set to decelerate in 2022
• DaaS will lead all PC services in revenue growth through 2022

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Telecom Business Research’s 2022 Predictions is a special series examining market trends and business changes in key markets. Covered segments include cloud, telecom, devices, data center, and services & digital.