(Yicai Global) Sept. 15 -- China’s computer industry had mixed results last month, with sales to students surging ahead of the new academic year, while commercial sales slumped amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a new report.

Students of all ages are having to take online courses in various parts of China due to the pandemic, boosting the demand for laptops, the report by market researcher IDC said today. They bought 2.25 million notebook computers last month, an 18.4 percent increase from a year ago.

But the commercial computer market suffered from weak demand amid the impact of Covid-19 in China, with just 1.15 million computers sold to small and medium-sized businesses last month, down 15.2 percent, and 1.12 million sold to bigger firms, down 18.6 percent. Sales dropped 4.1 percent to 4.97 million units in August, the report said.

Still, thanks to efforts by the Chinese government to support small and mid-sized companies, sales to these firms can reach 14.81 million in 2025, up 11.3 percent from 2022, IDC predicted. Sales of laptops to such businesses are expected to reach 7.57 million in 2025, a 22.5 percent jump from this year.

PC sales to large companies this year are expected to slump 24.7 percent from last year, in view of the complex and changeable international situation and the spread of Covid-19 in China, IDC said. 

Editor: Tom Litting