Companies respond to slumping PC demand with new form factors

ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold [Courtesy of ASUS]

As the PC market transitions from a pandemic to an endemic phase, companies are responding to the dip in demand by emphasizing portability and introducing new form factors to meet evolving consumer needs.

HP is set to launch two new products in the South Korean market this month: the ‘HP Envy Move 24,’ a portable all-in-one PC, and the ‘HP Spectre Foldable,’ a 17-inch foldable notebook model.

On October 5, in San Francisco, California, HP hosted the ‘HP Imagine 2023’ event, unveiling the HP Envy Move 24 with a 23.8-inch QHD touch display. Users can conveniently carry it around different indoor spaces using the attached handle, making it more versatile than a traditional desktop computer. The HP Envy Move 24 is expected to be officially released in Korea later this month, with prices expected to start in the 1.5 million won ($1,100) range.

HP also plans to launch the ‘HP Spectre Foldable,’ a 17-inch foldable notebook, in Korea later in October 2023. HP boasts that when unfolded, this product is the thinnest and lightest 17-inch foldable PC in the world, measuring just 8.5mm in thickness. While the Korean pricing is yet to be confirmed, it was released in the United States for around $5,000.

In recent months, Korean tech giant LG Electronics became the first Korean company to venture into the foldable notebook market by introducing the ‘LG Gram Fold.’ This product seamlessly transforms from a 17-inch tablet to a 12-inch notebook when folded and was officially launched on October 4, with a starting price of 4.99 million won.

China’s Lenovo and Taiwanese company ASUS have previously introduced foldable products. Lenovo made headlines in 2020 with the release of the world’s first foldable notebook, the ‘ThinkPad X1 Fold,’ which hit the Korean market in 2021. ASUS followed suit with the ‘Zenbook 17 Fold,’ which was officially released in the Korean market in September 2022.

The entrance of major players like HP and LG Electronics into the foldable notebook market is expected to accelerate its growth, despite the overall stagnation in the global PC market due to reduced demand caused by economic slowdowns.

According to market research firm IDC, global PC shipments in the second quarter of this year fell by 13.4 percent compared to a year ago, totaling 61.6 million units, marking a sixth consecutive quarter of declines in the PC market.