Global shipments of traditional personal computers (PCs), including desktops, notebooks, and workstations, rose by 55.2 percent year on year during the first quarter of 2021, driven by the continued resurgence in the PC market aimd the COVID-19 pandemic, market research company International Data Corporation (IDC) reported on Friday.

The growth is attributed to the shortages faced in the first quarter of 2020 when the global pandemic began. 

Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC's Mobile Device Trackers, said, "Unfulfilled demand from the past year has carried forward into the first quarter and additional demand brought on by the pandemic has also continued to drive volume," IDC reported.

Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Device Trackers, said, "All three segments – business, education, and consumer – are experiencing demand that we didn't expect to happen regardless of many countries beginning their 'opening up' process."

Specifically, Lenovo topped the list with 20.4 million shipments and a market share of 24.3 percent. HP came in second with 19.2 million systems shipped and 22.9 percent market share. 

However, the market still faces challenges like component shortages and logistics issues, which has led to an increase in prices, Ubrani said.

"The ongoing shortages in the semiconductor space only further prolong the ability for vendors to refill inventory and fulfill orders to customers. We believe a fundamental shift has occurred around the PC, which will result in a more positive outlook for years to follow," Reith added.

In 2020, PC shipments worldwide posted robust performance, as social distancing measures for preventing the spread of COVID-19 led to rising consumer demand.

Total shipments of PCs worldwide reached 275 million units last year, an increase of 4.8 percent from 2019 and the highest annual growth in a decade, according to global research and advisory firm Gartner.