Worldwide shipments of personal computers (PCs) declined by 4.9% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2026, reaching 68.2 million units, according to a report from International Data Corporation (IDC). This is the first decline the market has seen after nine consecutive quarters of growth. IDC attributes the decline to the ongoing memory chip (RAM) shortage crisis, along with issues in storage components and geopolitical tensions affecting global supply chains.

China maintains its lead despite shipment declines

Lenovo maintained its position as the leader of the global computer market in the second quarter of 2026, with a market share of 24.4%, despite a 2.1% decline in shipments compared to the same period last year. HP came in second place with a market share of 19.1%, but it recorded a larger decline in shipments of 9% year-over-year. Dell took third place with a 13.6% share, with a 5% drop in shipments, according to the Indian website gadgets360.

Apple achieves growth exceeding 10% thanks to MacBook Neo

Unlike most of its competitors, Apple managed to achieve an annual growth rate of 10.1% in computer shipments, raising its market share to 9.9% and taking fourth place globally. The IDC report noted that this performance came simultaneously with the launch of the MacBook Neo, which helped the company boost sales despite price increases in line with the overall increase in market costs. In contrast, Asus took fifth place with a market share of 7.4%, achieving slight growth of 0.2%.

Chip shortage to continue until 2028

IDC expects pressure on the computer market to continue in the coming period, confirming that the memory chip shortage crisis will not start easing before early 2028. Jeethesh Oberoi, director of consumer device research at IDC, said manufacturers would not be able to repeat their previous inventory build-up strategies as the chip shortage continues and global economic conditions deteriorate. He added that companies are preparing for a new wave of price increases in 2027, while distribution channels have already begun expressing concerns about rising inventories with increasing hardware prices.

Price hikes threaten global demand

The report believes that the continued rise in component costs, especially memory chips, will affect the growth rates of the computer market during the second half of 2026. It is expected that pressure will continue on both manufacturers and consumers. In contrast, the report indicated that Apple seems to be in a better position than its competitors as the launch of MacBook Neo has helped it strengthen its market share despite the difficult conditions facing the entire sector.