FRAMINGHAM, MA – The fourth quarter saw global shipments of PCs grow 26.1% year-over-year to 91.6 million units, according to International Data Corp. With the pandemic still in full swing, traditional PCs (inclusive of desktops, notebooks, and workstations) were once again an in-demand consumer technology.

Read more: PC Shipments Up 26% in Q4, 13% for Year

MILPITAS, CA – Sales of design software for printed circuit boards and multichip modules increased 8.3% from a year ago to $260.4 million in the third quarter, the Electronic System Design Alliance said today. The four-quarter moving average, which compares the most recent four quarters to the prior four quarters, increased 9.8%.

Read more: PCB Design Tool Revenue Grew 15% in Q3

TAIPEI – Global smartphone sales will gradually recover in 2021 and will likely see a relatively strong wave of device replacement demand, as well as demand growth in the emerging markets, new market research says. Assuming these conditions materialize, says TrendForce, the report author, the annual global smartphone production for 2021 is forecasted to increase 9% to 1.36 billion units.

Read more: Global Smartphone Production to Increase 9% in 2021

TAIPEI – Coming off a record year, global notebook shipments will grow another 8.6% year-over-year to 217 million units in 2021, TrendForce predicts. The increasing popularity of distance education has galvanized demand for Chromebooks, which contributed substantially to the growth of the overall market. Chromebooks accounted for 14.8% of global notebook shipments in 2020, a rate expected to rise to 18.5% in 2021.

Read more: Global Notebook Shipments to Grow 9% in 2021