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Windows Central

Technology

Sean Endicott

"Buzz around AI PCs" is just part of why more people will buy laptops as 2024 holiday gifts than ever, but many are shopping for themselves

Laptops CTA Amazon Best Buy Dell Black Friday (Topic) AMD Intel Corporation LG

Image of the Lenovo Yoga Slim 7x (Gen 9) laptop.

What you need to know

More people will purchase laptops as gifts this year than ever before, according to a report by Consumer Technology Association.
233 million adults in the United States plan to purchase tech gifts in 2024, which is an all-time high for the category.
The advent of AI PCs and the fact that we are now several years removed from the peak of the global pandemic are likely contributing factors to why so many will buy laptops this holiday season.

Millions of Americans will receive laptops as gifts this holiday season, marking a high point for the category. A report by Consumer Technology Association (CTA) states that 51% of people surveyed will buy a laptop as a gift this year. Desktop gift buying is also expected to be at an all-time high, as 35% of survey respondents said they intend to buy a desktop PC for the 2024 holidays. Laptop and desktop gift purchasing are expected to be up 8 and 9 percent, respectively, when compared to last year.

The report was completed by surveying 1,205 adults in the United States between August 27, 2024 and September 4, 2024. You can preview the report on the CTA website. The complete report is available for free to CTA members or for $999 to those who aren't members.

Many of the tech gifts purchased will be for people under 18, while another sizeable percentage will be gifts for spouses. CTA's report states that 40% of gifts will be for children and 36% will be for spouses. 15% of those buying tech gifts will give that tech to a parent, and 28% will give a tech gift to an "other" adult.

29% percent of respondents said they would buy a tech gift for themselves. Those figures add up to more than 100%, but that's because many purchase multiple tech gifts for various people.

Even those who do not purchase a laptop or desktop for the holidays are likely to buy some type of tech. 78% of respondents said they will buy computer hardware and a whopping 89% said they intend to purchase tech gifts. That figure related to general tech gifts is 8% higher than CTA has ever seen, including data going back to 2007.

AI PCs

AI PCs appear to be a factor in the surge of interest in buying laptops before the end of 2024. "A lot of the buzz around AI PCs, maybe that’s a little bit behind that,” said Steve Koenig, CTA VP of Research, said to our colleagues at Tom's Hardware.

The list of the best AI PCs grew quite a bit this year. Interest in AI has skyrocketed over the past few years, and we now have hardware available to take advantage of the trend. Qualcomm released its Snapdragon X processors, which power the first wave of Copilot+ PCs. AMD and Intel also hopped on the AI PC hype train with Ryzen AI PRO 300 processors and Intel Core Ultra Series 2 chips, respectively.

How often do you buy a new laptop?

The Dell XPS 16 (right) is different in several key ways when compared to its predecessor, the Dell XPS 15 (left). (Image credit: Future)

The fact that we're now a few years removed from the peak of the global pandemic also plays a part, according to Koenig. “It could also be part of the upgrade cycle. A lot of people got new laptops at the headwaters of the health crisis and here we are four years later and maybe people are thinking it’s time to upgrade.”

While tech companies often refresh laptops annually, few people purchase new PCs each year. But after a few years, PCs can start showing their age, at least in comparison to newer tech. Screens get better, chips get faster, and new features roll out regularly. Combine steady growth, even within a singular product line, and you can see a dramatic difference between a PC from 2020 compared to 2024. For example, look at the Dell XPS 15 from 2020 and the XPS 16 from 2024.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals

Retailers have taken strides to invent shopping events, such as Prime Day and Anti-Prime Day, and those efforts appear to have drawn in consumers. 41% of respondents stated that they will start their holiday shopping in October. That's the highest percentage ever seen by CTA.

While early shopping has grown, many will still look to Black Friday and Cyber Monday for holiday shopping. Of course, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are also made up, but they have been around for quite a while now, and it doesn't seem likely that other days will surpass them. Koenig noted that over half of holiday shoppers will shop during Black Friday week.