AI-capable PC shipments reached 13.3 million units globally in the July-September period, accounting for 20 per cent of all PC shipments during the quarter, according to a new report.
The ramp-up in the availability of such devices led to a sequential growth of 49 per cent for this new category of PCs, a Canalys report said.
Windows devices accounted for a majority of AI-capable PC shipments for the first time, capturing a 53 per cent share.
While the Windows 11 refresh cycle and processor roadmaps will continue to drive penetration, a key challenge moving forward will be to convince customers to future-proof for a boom in on-device AI use cases, said the report.
Ishan Dutt, principal analyst at Canalys, said that progress along AI-capable PC roadmaps maintained a strong pace in Q3.
“Copilot+ PCs equipped with Snapdragon X series chips enjoyed their first full quarter of availability while AMD brought Ryzen AI 300 products to the market and Intel officially launched its Lunar Lake series.
“However, both x86 chipset vendors are still awaiting Copilot+ PC support for their offerings from Microsoft which is expected to arrive this month,” Dutt mentioned.
Total Windows AI-capable PC shipments grew 93 per cent sequentially, accounting for 12 per cent of all Windows PC shipped in Q3.
HP, at its “Imagine AI” event in September, emphasised its collaboration with ISVs and third-party developers to deliver on-device AI experiences.
Meanwhile for Lenovo, a key focus in recent months has been around proprietary AI tools and agents embedded into its PCs, such as its Creator Zone, Learning Zone and Lenovo AI Now.
“Apple’s strategic approach in this landscape is distinct. It is leveraging its vertically integrated ecosystem to create features that do not need to directly compete with Microsoft’s suite of productivity tools such as Copilot Pro for Microsoft 365, which is compatible with macOS,” said Kieren Jessop, analyst at Canalys.
Apple can instead focus its differentiation at the hardware and OS level, positioning itself against Windows OEMs in an effort to make market share gains during the ongoing refresh cycle, Jessop added.
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