In the third quarter of 2026, 62.7 million PCs were shipped worldwide, 20.1% fewer than the 78.5 million in the same period of 2025. These are IDC’s preliminary figures, and they describe a quarter that is usually one of the strongest of the year but this time did the opposite.
Compared with the second quarter, the fall is 9.1%. April to June had also closed in the red, at -3.8% year on year, so this is the second consecutive quarter of decline.
Why it happened
IDC points to two causes that add up. The first is purchases brought forward: manufacturers and sales channels stocked up in the preceding months, before memory became scarce and more expensive. Those orders inflated the second quarter and took demand away from the third.
The second is supply constraints, which are pushing prices up and have wiped out the usual seasonal rise. Another analyst firm, Omdia, estimates 58.1 million units and a fall of 21.2%: the counting methods differ, but the picture is the same.
The numbers by manufacturer
- Lenovo: 14.9 million units (23.8% share), down 22.6%. It remains the biggest manufacturer.
- HP: 10.3 million (16.5%), -30.9%. This is the steepest drop among the top five.
- Dell: 7.6 million (12.1%), -25%.
- Apple: 5.9 million Macs against 6.7 million a year ago, -11.3%. Because it fell by less than the market, its share rises from 8.5% to 9.5% and Apple ranks fourth.
- ASUS: 5.5 million (8.7%), the smallest decline of the top five, -8.6%.
A caveat on the data: the IDC report counts units, not value. With prices rising, manufacturers’ revenues can grow even while they sell fewer computers. HP, for example, reported revenue up 12.5% to 15.7 billion dollars in its latest fiscal quarter.
What it means for buyers
Jitesh Ubrani, IDC’s research director, explains that retailers fear being left with too much stock in a market where high prices are holding back demand. That could lead to promotions and temporary relief for consumers. But he does not expect prices to get close to those of a year ago: list prices, he says, will stay high.
IDC adds that the economic backdrop has worsened compared with the previous quarter and that the coming quarters may remain weak before improving. The data covers the global market: IDC has not broken down the trend in Italy or Switzerland here, and at the moment there are no Italian reference prices to quote.
What we think
The collapse in shipments does not mean computers cost less; if anything, the opposite. It is the sign of a market in which sellers are sitting on high stock and buyers are putting off purchases, and where memory, which data centres for artificial intelligence are also competing for, remains the factor driving list prices.
If you have a PC that still works, you have little to lose by waiting. If you need to replace one now, it is worth keeping an eye on deals over the coming months: if warehouses really are full, discounts will arrive sooner on models already on the market than on new releases. Expecting a return to 2025 prices, however, does not look realistic.
Written by the SpazioiTech newsroom with the help of AI tools, from facts verified across at least two independent outlets, and checked before publication. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Translated from the Italian original. Read in Italian
