The North American PC market experienced a dramatic rise during the first quarter of 2025, with overall shipments increasing by 27.8% compared to the same period last year, according to findings from IDC. The growth was largely triggered by growing anxiety over the potential imposition of new U.S. tariffs, which led to a wave of urgent purchases across the business sector.

Desktop computers saw the highest increase with a jump of 35.3%, while notebook sales rose by 26.9%. The total revenue generated in the PC market reached $4.07 billion, marking the second consecutive quarter of positive growth. Much of this momentum came from corporate clients and distributors who moved quickly to stock up before any possible price increases tied to future trade policies.

In particular, the workstation segment saw an impressive surge of 49.3%, reflecting heightened procurement activity amid concerns about tariffs on components manufactured in countries like China, which remains a critical supplier of computer hardware worldwide. Distributor revenues also climbed by 7.6%, reaching a total of $19.9 billion.

Despite the temporary 90-day deferral on new tariffs, the broader uncertainty in trade relations has continued to fuel aggressive buying behavior. At the same time, the software market also benefited from the trend, showing a strong revenue increase of 13.2%, nearing $4.5 billion. Notably, demand for data storage solutions, cybersecurity tools, and virtualization platforms all registered double-digit growth rates.

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