Global PC Shipments Fall 20% Between July and September 2026
Jakarta (ANTARA) — Global shipments of personal computers (PCs) fell 20.1% in July–September 2026 compared with the same period last year, according to preliminary research by International Data Corporation (IDC).
IDC data cited in a GSM Arena report on Saturday (10 November) showed that 62.7 million PCs were shipped in the third quarter of 2026, down 20.1% from 78.5 million in the third quarter of 2025.
PC shipments in the third quarter of 2026 fell 9.1% compared with the previous quarter.
IDC’s figures measure PC shipments, not direct sales to consumers.
IDC noted that retailers had built up inventory during the first half of 2026, recorded as shipments in previous quarters, in anticipation of forthcoming price rises. As a result, in the third quarter most retailers focused on running down those stocks rather than bringing in new inventory.
Jitesh Ubrani, IDC’s research director for consumer devices, said distributors were now concerned about holding too much PC inventory as high prices weighed on market demand.
Ubrani said worsening macroeconomic conditions could cause the PC market outlook to deteriorate over the next few quarters before eventually improving.
According to IDC’s forecast, a deteriorating economy could further reduce demand and worsen the outlook for PC shipments for the rest of 2026 and into 2027.
Although it remained in first place, Lenovo’s PC shipments in the third quarter of 2026 fell 22.6% from 19.3 million units in the same period a year earlier.
HP Inc. ranked second, with shipments of 10.3 million units and a 16.5% market share. It recorded the largest year-on-year decline among the top five PC manufacturers in the third quarter of 2026.
HP Inc.’s shipments fell 30.9% in the period, from 15 million units in the third quarter of 2025.
Dell Technologies ranked third, shipping 7.6 million PCs and holding a 12.1% market share. That was down 25% from 10.1 million units in the same period of 2025.
Apple shipped 5.9 million PCs in the third quarter of 2026, giving it a 9.5% market share. Its shipments fell 11.3% from 6.7 million units in the same period of 2025.
Asus shipped 5.5 million PCs during the period, down 8.6% from the same period in 2025. Its market share in the third quarter of 2026 was 8.7%.
In total, manufacturers outside the top five shipped 18.4 million PCs in the third quarter of 2026, with a combined market share of 29.4%. Their shipments were down 14% from 21.4 million in the third quarter of 2025.