PC sales momentum is weak, but the peripheral market is bucking the trend, with Logitech recording strong growth from China's 618 shopping festival, according to Aries Sze, who oversees the company's business in Taiwan and Hong Kong, as well as its channel strategy in the Chinese market.
PC sales were weak during the mid-year shopping festival in China, but Logitech logged double-digit sales growth from the period, said Sze.
PC sales have dropped back from their record highs since the end of the COVID pandemic, which generated strong demand for computers supporting remote work and learning. According to DIGITIMES Research, global notebook shipments reached 42.09 million and 44.52 million units in the first and second quarters of 2025, respectively, rising 4.3% and 2.4% year on year. There was still growth, but it was low.
PC and peripheral sales used to be tightly knit together, but peripheral vendors are now seeking to go their own way.
Sze said that Logitech is seeking differentiation in the peripheral market, developing products that meet the needs of consumers and seizing business opportunities in a timely manner. For example, the COVID pandemic boosted work-from-home and video-conferencing demand. Although the pandemic has ended, video-conferencing demand is now 50% higher compared to pre-COVID levels.
Creator tool catering to AI boom
Logitech, eyeing the enormous business opportunities from the AI boom, has just unveiled its MX Creative Console in Taiwan, a creator tool supporting Adobe and various other software to optimize the creative workflow.
AI is creating new opportunities in the market. Generative AI is boosting demand for creative work, but traditional keyboards and mice have been hardly able to keep up.
Sze pointed out that although there are products similar to the MX Creative Console on the market, Logitech has teamed up with 48 software vendors including Adobe, so users no longer need to worry about software-hardware integration, and can concentrate on creation.
Logitech's study finds that demand for image design creation will grow nearly five times from 2023 to 2026, but as many as 56% of the creators feel the pressure from short deadlines. Creators are under unprecedented pressure and challenges to improve work efficiency. Sze said that it is estimated that there are more than 300,000 creators in Taiwan, and the number is still increasing.
Creative PCs launched two years ago also targeted creators. They created some initial hype, but are now gone from the market.
Sze maintained that Logitech's MX Creative Console is a different tool. Creative PCs still emphasized computing power, which is what PCs are all about. However, the Creative Console is designed to address the pain points of creators.
He said that users need shortcut keys to speed up the creative process, but shortcut keys are usually too cumbersome to really quicken the workflow. The MX Creative Console simplifies the shortcut keys, and its Dialpad allows users to adjust the thickness of brush strokes and colors more easily, Sze said.
Sze pointed out that the current consumer market does face many challenges, including the US tariffs and geopolitics, but Logitech will continue to seek new opportunities.
PC brand vendors said that promotional campaigns in 2025 have hardly been able to shore up sales, probably because consumers are still reluctant to spend in the face of a volatile environment.
Some industry sources pointed out that China's subsidization policy has actually undermined channel distributors' use of pricing strategy to stimulate demand.
Article edited by Joseph Tsai
