Global PC shipments fall for first time in two years amid memory crunch

IDC data published Tuesday shows global PC shipments fell 4.9% to 68.2 million units in Q2 2026, ending nine consecutive quarters of growth.appleinsider+1
Apple was the sole top-five vendor to grow, with Mac shipments up 10.1%, while Lenovo, HP , and Dell all declined.appleinsider
IDC projects an 11.3% full-year shipment drop for 2026, warning the AI-fueled memory shortage will persist through 2027.idc

The global PC market posted its first year-over-year decline in more than two years during the second quarter of 2026, with shipments falling 4.9% to 68.2 million units, according to preliminary data from IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker published Tuesday. Apple stood alone among major vendors in posting growth, as an ongoing memory supply crunch driven by surging AI data center demand continued to squeeze the broader industry.idc+1

Apple Bucks the Trend

Apple's Mac shipments jumped 10.1% year over year in Q2, pushing its market share to 9.9%, making it the only top-five vendor to record meaningful growth during the quarter. Rivals Lenovo , HP , and Dell all posted declines as the memory shortage limited their ability to maintain full product portfolios and meet demand at competitive price points.appleinsider

The result extends a streak that began earlier in the year. In Q1 2026, Mac shipments grew 9% year over year according to IDC data, outpacing a broader market that was still growing modestly at the time. Apple's advantage stems in part from its vertical integration — the company designs its own silicon, giving it more control over component allocation — though it too has begun raising prices on MacBooks and iPads to account for rising memory costs.cnbc+2

Memory Shortage Deepens

The decline marks the end of nine consecutive quarters of growth for the PC industry and comes as the memory chip shortage, fueled by massive demand from AI infrastructure buildouts, shows no signs of easing. IDC has warned that relief is not expected before the end of 2027 at the earliest, projecting global PC shipments will decline 11.3% for the full year 2026, with conditions worsening through Q4 when year-over-year declines could reach 20%.idc+1

Average selling prices for PCs are projected to rise 17% in 2026 according to both IDC and Gartner, as manufacturers pass along higher component costs. Gartner's own research projected PC shipments would fall 10.4% for the full year.cnbc+1

Outlook

The second half of 2026 is expected to bring sharper declines as the memory crunch intensifies. IDC's Jitesh Ubrani noted that pricing is unlikely to return to 2025 levels even as memory capacity eventually expands. Omdia research published in early July projected U.S. PC shipments alone would not recover to 2025 levels until 2029, underscoring the depth of the disruption the AI boom has inflicted on the consumer hardware market.tomshardware+1

Sources (36)