New to this? Read it in simple words
- About 20% fewer PCs were shipped this summer than a year earlier.
- AI data centres buy a lot of memory, so PC parts cost more.
- Many buyers had bought early in the year, before prices rose.
- Omdia expects more falls at the end of 2026 and in 2027.
- Shipments
- Computers that makers send to shops and companies, not sales to the people who use them.
- Pull-in
- Buying earlier than planned, to beat expected price rises.
- Market share
- One company’s part of all the products sold in a market.
IDC and Omdia count how many computers makers ship to shops and companies each quarter. Their first figures for the third quarter of 2026 came out on October 8 and 9.
The numbers
IDC estimates that 62.7 million PCs were shipped in the third quarter, 20.1% fewer than a year earlier and 9.1% fewer than in the second quarter. Omdia counts 58.1 million, down 21.2%. The two firms count in different ways, so their totals differ.
Lenovo stayed the largest maker with 14.9 million PCs, down 22.6%, by IDC’s count. HP fell 30.9% to 10.3 million, and Dell fell 25% to 7.6 million. Together, the top three shipped 11.6 million fewer PCs than a year earlier, Tom’s Hardware calculates.
Apple fell 11.3% to 5.9 million, IDC estimates, while Omdia puts Apple at 6.8 million. Apple and ASUS gained market share.
IDC’s first estimates for the third quarter of 2026, compared with a year earlier; Omdia’s count is lower.
Why shipments fell
“What we’re seeing is the result of the strong first half pull-in,” said Jitesh Ubrani, a research director at IDC. Makers and shops bought stock early in the year to get ahead of price rises.
IDC names supply problems and higher prices driven by the building of AI data centres. AI companies buy large amounts of memory and storage, so PC makers pay more for these parts, The Register explains.
Omdia estimates that memory and storage now make up nearly 40% of a PC’s parts cost, up from about 15% before.
What comes next
IDC says shops may offer some discounts to clear their stock, but prices will stay high. “We don’t expect pricing anywhere near what it was a year ago,” Ubrani said.
Omdia expects shipments to fall another 24% in the fourth quarter, and a further 7% in 2027. These are forecasts, not results.
Sources
Every fact in this story comes from the sources below. Open them to check our work.
- 1Primary source · October 8, 2026PC Market Woes Continue: Shipments Fall 20.1% in Q3 2026 as Pull-In Hangover and Supply Constraints Bite IDC
- 2Primary source · October 9, 2026Omdia: Global PC Shipments Fall 21% in 3Q26 as Pull-Forward Demand Subsides Omdia, via Business Wire
- 3Research · October 9, 2026Global PC shipments crater 20% as rising prices hammer demand The Register
- 4
- 5Research · October 9, 2026PC shipments tumble over 20% in 3Q26 as chip shortages bite — top three PC vendors ship 11.6 million fewer units year-over-year Tom’s Hardware
The shipment figures are first estimates by IDC and Omdia, which count in different ways. The link to AI data centres is the two firms’ explanation.
PC shipments fell about 20% as AI-driven memory costs raised prices, and Omdia forecasts further falls. How we rate the mood