As the prices of memory, processors, SSD storage hard drives and other components continue to rise, computers will only become more and more expensive, causing a cold wind to blow in the global market. According to the latest statistics for the third quarter of 2026 released by market research agency IDC, global PC shipments dropped by 20.1% compared with the same period last year. None of the top five brands were spared, and all experienced declines.
According to preliminary statistics from IDC, global PC shipments in the third quarter of 2026 were approximately 62.7 million units, a decrease of approximately 15.8 million units compared with 78.5 million units in the same period last year, and a year-on-year decrease of 20.1%. What is even more noteworthy is that the third quarter was originally the traditional peak season for the computer market, but this year's shipments dropped by 9.1% compared to the second quarter, indicating that the overall market demand is quite weak.
Judging from the performance of various brands, Lenovo still ranks first in the world, shipping approximately 14.9 million units in the third quarter, with a market share of 23.8%; HP ranked second with 10.3 million units, with a market share of 16.5%; Dell ranked third with 7.6 million units, with a market share of 12.1%. The shipments of the top three brands have all declined significantly, with HP declining by 30.9% year-on-year, the most serious decline; Dell declining by 25%, and Lenovo also declining by 22.6%, indicating that this wave of PC market downturn has not spared even major manufacturers.
In comparison, Apple's Mac performance has been relatively solid. Mac shipments in the third quarter were approximately 5.9 million units, which was an 11.3% decrease from the 6.7 million units in the same period last year. However, due to the greater decline in the overall PC market, Apple's market share increased from 8.5% to 9.5%, maintaining its position as the world's fourth largest PC brand.
The performance of Taiwanese brand ASUS is also worthy of attention. In the third quarter, it shipped approximately 5.5 million units, a decrease of 8.6% from 6 million units in the same period last year. The decline was smaller than that of Apple. It also became the company with the least decline among the top five brands in the world. ASUS's market share has increased from 7.6% last year to 8.7%, continuing to rank fifth in the world.
This also means that although the computer shipments of Apple and Asus are less than last year, because other brands have fallen more heavily, the two companies have gained more market share in the overall market.
As for why the global PC market suddenly declined sharply? IDC pointed out that one of the main reasons is related to the rising cost of components and manufacturers stocking up in advance.
As the prices of memory and other components continue to rise, many computer brands and distributors are worried about higher purchase costs in the future. Therefore, they have made early purchases and increased inventory as early as the first half of this year, which is equivalent to consuming part of the original demand for the third quarter in advance. In addition, the channel still has inventory on hand, and even if it enters the traditional peak season, there is no need to replenish large quantities of goods, resulting in third quarter shipments being lower than expected.
For consumers, there may be opportunities to get bargains when buying computers next, but don’t expect prices to fall across the board. According to IDC analysis, due to high inventory in some channels and weak market demand, manufacturers may offer more discounts and promotions in the short term in the hope of speeding up inventory clearance. However, due to rising component costs, computer prices may still be significantly higher than the same period last year, even with promotions.
