Global personal computer shipments dropped sharply in the third quarter of 2026. Data from research firms shows the market went from bad to considerably worse as buyers decided their existing machines would suffice.
Global shipments fell over twenty percent
Worldwide shipments of desktops, notebooks, and workstations fell 21.2 percent year-on-year to 58.1 million units in Q3 according to figures from Omdia. IDC estimated a similar decline of 20.1 percent down to 62.7 million units. This downturn follows an early rush by manufacturers, distributors, and corporate customers who brought forward orders to get ahead of anticipated price increases. That earlier pull-in propped up shipments in the first half of 2026 but left the industry with excess inventory and fewer buyers by the third quarter. IDC reported that shipments fell 9.1 percent from Q2, bucking the usual seasonal pattern where back-to-school demand lifts the market. Jitesh Ubrani, research director for consumer devices at IDC, noted that vendors loaded up on inventory early to beat price hikes.
Component shortages pushed costs soaring
Much of the trouble stems from the artificial intelligence industry's heavy appetite for memory and storage. PC makers are now competing for increasingly expensive components. Omdia estimates that DRAM and SSDs account for nearly 40 percent of a computer component costs, up from around 15 percent previously. Prices for those parts have risen more than fourfold. Shortages of processors, graphics cards, and other integrated circuits are also adding to manufacturer difficulties.
Major vendors recorded steep declines
The damage impacted all of the industry's largest names. Lenovo kept its spot as the world's largest vendor by shipping 14.9 million units, though IDC estimated that represents a 22.6 percent decline from a year earlier. HP saw shipments plunge nearly 31 percent down to 10.3 million units. Dell recorded a 25 percent drop to 7.6 million units. Apple escaped relatively lightly with an 11 percent decline according to IDC, and even increased its market share despite shipping fewer machines. Omdia put Apple shipments higher at 6.8 million units compared to IDC's 5.9 million.
Buyers might see short-term relief through promotions as retailers try to clear excess stock, but IDC does not expect pricing to return to levels seen a year ago. Omdia expects global shipments to fall another 24 percent year-on-year in the fourth quarter, followed by a further 7 percent decline across 2027.
