India’s PC market had its strongest year on record in 2025, outpacing demand growth during the COVID-19 pandemic as millions of first-time buyers who bought laptops during the lockdown began upgrading their devices.
Desktop, Laptop and Workstation shipments in India increased by 10.2% year-on-year to 15.9 million units in 2025, according to IDC analysts. The total marks the first time annual shipments have topped the 15 million unit mark, surpassing the peaks seen in 2021 and 2022.
Pandemic lockdowns have exposed many people in India to computers for the first time, expanding the country’s PC user base and creating demand for upgrades as those devices age, Bharath Shenoy, director of research at IDC, told TechCrunch. Increasing digitization, growing PC adoption among start-ups and small businesses and wider availability of devices in smaller cities have also supported demand, he added.
India’s share of global PC shipments rose to 5.6% in 2025 from 3.3% in 2020, according to IDC data shared with TechCrunch. Worldwide PC shipments rose 8.1% to 284.7 million units in 2025, according to a previous IDC report. The South Asian nation remains one of the fastest-growing computer markets as demand expands beyond major cities.
Commercial buyers accounted for 52.9% of PC shipments in India in 2025, while the consumer segment made up the remaining 47.1%, IDC said.
Enterprise markets were driven in part by the Windows refresh cycle last year, with many small and medium-sized businesses and some public sector organizations now starting to replace older devices, Shenoy told TechCrunch.
HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer and Asus were among the top PC vendors in India last year, IDC said. However, Apple’s Macs hold a smaller share of India’s PC market than in the U.S. MacBooks accounted for about 5.6 percent of India’s notebook market in 2025, compared with about 11 percent to 12 percent globally and about 20 percent in the U.S., according to IDC.
MacBooks’ share of India’s laptop market peaked at 7.4% in 2022, up from 3.9% in 2020, according to IDC data.
About 85% to 87% of Mac shipments in India come from the consumer segment, Shenoy said, reflecting Apple’s limited presence in business markets. The premium notebook segment — devices priced above $1,000 — grew 8.2% year-over-year in 2025, indicating steady demand for higher-end devices.
Demand for Macs in India could pick up as Apple this week introduced the lower-priced MacBook Neo, while Windows laptops are getting more expensive, Shenoy said. The Cupertino company is also focusing on expanding its presence in the commercial segment, which could help it gain market share, he added.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment.
AI features are also starting to appear in premium laptops, though they are not yet a major driver of PC demand in India, Shenoy said. Many businesses that previously bought premium laptops are now opting for AI-enabled PCs as they fall into the same budget range, while demand from content creators could also support adoption as digital media consumption increases, he added.
Despite a strong performance last year, the market could face headwinds in the near term as rising prices and component shortages weigh on demand, Shenoy also noted. PC shipments in India could fall about 5% in 2026, compared to a low double-digit decline expected globally, he said.
India is still expected to outperform many other markets due to its relatively low PC penetration and the scale of demand, Shenoy told TechCrunch. PC penetration in the country is estimated at around 17% to 20%, leaving significant room for growth as digital adoption spreads to households and businesses.
The market could remain under pressure in 2027 before returning to growth as business and consumer demand stabilizes, Shenoy said.
