Worldwide PC shipments have plummeted by over 20%, to the surprise of absolutely no one
Could it be something to do with.... the memory crisis?
IDC has announced a steep drop of over 20% in worldwide PC shipments in the third quarter of 2026, which came as no surprise to many. The research firm reported that shipped units fell from 78.5 million in Q3 2025 to 62.7 million in the current quarter, marking a 20.1% decline. The primary cause of this decline, according to IDC, is the memory and supply chain crisis fuelled by demand for AI servers.
This crisis led vendors to stockpile supplies in the first half of the year, anticipating price hikes, which in turn dampened demand in the second half. Consequently, the third quarter, typically the strongest seasonally, underperformed due to this imbalanced stock distribution. The report predicts that the industry may face even gloomier conditions in the near future, with channel concerns over high inventory and soft demand at elevated prices potentially leading to promotions, but pricing is expected to stay well above year-ago levels.
The biggest risk, however, is the worsening macroeconomic conditions, which could further reduce demand and darken the outlook for the remainder of 2026 and into 2027. While some companies, such as Lenovo, HP, and Dell, experienced a faster decline in market share compared to the overall industry decline, Lenovo remains the leading PC shipper.
Apple and Asus also witnessed a decline in their growth rates, with Apple falling by 11.3% and Asus by 8.6%.
Written by urgent.news from PC Gamer's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
