Research firms Omdia and IDC reported that worldwide PC shipments fell 21.2 percent year-on-year to 58.1 million units in the third quarter of 2026, marking the steepest decline since the market began contracting in 2022. IDC's separate estimate placed the drop at 20.1 percent, with shipments totaling 62.7 million units. Both firms noted that the downturn followed an earlier surge in purchases as manufacturers and corporate buyers accelerated orders to avoid anticipated price hikes, leaving inventories high and demand weak in the quarter.

The shortage of memory and storage components, driven by AI-related demand, has pushed prices up more than fourfold, according to Omdia. DRAM and solid-state drives now account for nearly 40 percent of a PC's component cost, up from about 15 percent before the shortage. IDC initially reported a 4.9 percent decline in shipments for the second quarter, later revising it to 3.8 percent, citing the same supply constraints.

Lenovo remained the largest vendor, shipping 14.9 million units, though IDC estimated a 22.6 percent drop from the prior year. HP's shipments fell 31 percent to 10.3 million units, Dell's declined 25 percent to 7.6 million, and Apple shipped 5.9 million to 6.8 million units, depending on the source, with its market share rising despite the overall contraction. IDC analyst Jitesh Ubrani said vendors had loaded up on inventory early in the year, disrupting the usual seasonal pattern where third-quarter shipments exceed second-quarter figures.

Retailers are now working to clear excess stock, but IDC does not expect pricing to return to levels seen a year ago. Omdia projects another 24 percent year-on-year drop in fourth-quarter shipments, followed by a 7 percent decline in 2027. The situation contrasts with earlier expectations that AI would spur PC sales, instead contributing to a sustained downturn in the market.