Worldwide PC shipments declined 4.9% year over year in Q2 2026 to 68.2 million units, according to IDC. This marked the first decline after nine consecutive quarters of growth. A persistent memory chip shortage contributed to the decline, pushing vendors to pull inventory forward as far as possible. Other factors, including storage component availability and geopolitical issues, also continued to weigh on the market.
Why PC shipments declined
Speaking on the impact of the memory shortage and the difference between shipment volumes and revenue growth, Jitesh Ubrani, Research Director for Consumer Devices at IDC, said:
The real story here is the disconnect between units and dollars: shipments are falling, but revenue is climbing because vendors are pushing through price increases faster than demand is dropping.
Ubrani said the memory shortage is not expected to ease until early 2028. He added that worsening macro conditions and the lack of another inventory pull-forward cycle could lead to a sharp slowdown in growth rates during the second half of 2026. Vendors are also preparing for further price hikes into 2027, while channels are raising concerns about elevated inventory levels at higher price points.
Emerging trends and vendor outlook
IDC said sustained cost pressure from the memory shortage could affect the broader PC upgrade cycle, even as interest in on-device AI processing continues to grow amid rising cloud compute costs. The company also highlighted further vendor consolidation, with major brands such as Apple, Dell, and Lenovo using their scale across adjacent business areas, including smartphones and servers, to secure memory supply and squeeze smaller competitors.
Commenting on supply chain management, vendor capabilities, and market share shifts, Jean Philippe Bouchard, Vice President for Consumer Devices at IDC, said:
As market conditions continue to worsen, the importance of supply chain management and capabilities are increasingly important. The largest vendors, with their buying power and long-standing supplier ties, are best positioned to take share from smaller rivals.
Bouchard added that Apple’s share gain coincided with its latest product launch, the MacBook Neo. While the company raised prices in line with broader market trends, it remains positioned against rivals facing similar cost pressures.