Apple Gains PC Share as Global Shipments Fall 21%

Apple shipped 5.6 million Macs in the third quarter of 2026, down 11% from a year earlier, but increased its share of a shrinking global PC market, according to preliminary estimates from Counterpoint Research. The research firm credited Apple’s MacBook Neo with helping it outperform the broader market. Worldwide PC shipments fell 21% year over year to 57 million units, Counterpoint estimated. Apple’s share rose to 9.8% from 8.7% a year earlier, leaving it the fourth-largest vendor by shipments. The figures indicate a relative gain in market share even as Apple’s own shipments declined. Lenovo led the market with a 26.3% share, followed by HP at 18.1% and Dell at 13.3%. Their shipments fell 23%, 31% and 25%, respectively. ASUS ranked fifth, with a 9.2% share after shipments declined 7%, the smallest annual drop among the five leading vendors. Counterpoint analyst Minsoo Kang said higher memory and component costs are pushing up computer prices and prompting consumers to delay replacement purchases. Commercial refresh cycles and migration to newer versions of Windows provided some support for demand, but did not offset the wider contraction, the firm said. The MacBook Neo’s...