Worldwide PC shipments fell 20.1% in Q3 2026

Worldwide personal computer shipments fell 20.1% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, dropping to 62.7 million units from 78.5 million a year earlier, according to preliminary estimates from IDC. The total was also 9.1% below the second quarter, an unusually sharp reversal of the typical seasonal pattern in which third-quarter shipments rise. IDC’s figures show the contraction extended across the largest PC makers. Lenovo shipped 14.9 million units, down 22.6% from a year earlier; HP shipped 10.3 million, down 30.9%; and Dell shipped 7.6 million, a decline of 25%. Lenovo remained the largest vendor, with a 23.8% share of the market. Apple shipments fell 11.3% and ASUS shipments declined 8.6%, both less than the overall market. IDC’s preliminary figures put their respective market shares at 9.5% and 8.7%, up as their shipments contracted less sharply than the market overall. IDC research director Jitesh Ubrani attributed the unusual sequential decline partly to purchases brought forward earlier in the year. Vendors and sales channels built inventory ahead of anticipated memory-related price increases, he said, shifting shipments away from the third quarter.