This year, many laptop and PC makers has coined the term of “AI PC” (computes with neural processing units, or NPUs, onboard), and have since ride along the AI hype to market its laptops with various AI capabilities. The idea is that AI PCs will be a revolutionary jump that may entice users to upgrade, but report from TrendForce suggest that is not the case right now.
“AI PC” Isn’t The Reason Laptops Are Selling
According to TrendForce, laptop sales are still growing – with 183 million units globally expected to be sold next year, or a 4.9% increase. This projection is attributed to the expected end-of-life for Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system next October, with commercial users more likely to upgrade for security considerations.
However, this upgrade cycle has very little to do with AI. Per TrendForce: “The impact of AI-integrated notebooks on the overall market remains limited for now. However, AI features are expected to naturally integrate into notebook specifications as brands gradually incorporate them, resulting in a steady rise in the penetration rates of AI notebooks.”
Essentially, people are buying AI PCs because their laptops need to be replaced, not necessarily because of the AI features these AI-capable laptops may offer. That being said, given that all three major chipmakers in the laptop space has integrated NPU one way or another, the gradual adoption of AI PCs is merely a matter of time.
Meanwhile, TrendForce has also pointed out that consumer laptop market’s growth may slow to 3%, though other sectors like Chromebooks will see a bigger growth to bolster overall shipment figures. Particularly, Japan’s new initiative to provide laptops to children nationwide for education use will generate great demand, while the launch of NVIDIA RTX 50 series laptops is likely to push sales on the higher-end as well.
However, there are uncertainties as United States will once again be led by Donald Trump, who promised to impose significant tariffs to specific regions that may affect the global supply chain. This likely will affect the demand for laptops in the country, depending on how the price fluctuates under his administration this coming January. The said policies may have effects beyond America’s borders, as OEMs and ODMs consider moving their manufacturing outside of China due to geopolitical concerns.
Source: Tom’s Hardware | TrendForce
Pokdepinion: I guess my skepticism is right, for now – it’s hard to convince people with features that can largely be done online, and privacy isn’t that high up on most people’s priorities right now (when OEMs market laptops around local processing capabilities).
