Global PC shipments fell 20.1% year over year in the third quarter of 2026 to 62.7 million units, according to preliminary data from IDC. It is the second consecutive quarterly decline and far deeper than the 3.8% drop recorded in Q2, with shipments also slipping 9.1% from the previous quarter, breaking the usual pattern in which Q3 outsells Q2.
IDC attributes the slump to two forces: vendors and retail channels stocked up heavily earlier in the year to get ahead of memory-driven price hikes, borrowing demand from the second half, while continued supply constraints kept shelves tight. Lenovo fell 22.6% year over year, HP 30.9%, Dell 25% and Apple 11.3%. The top three together ceded 4.2 percentage points of market share.
Global PC shipments: the Q3 2026 numbers
IDC's preliminary results show a market that shrank across the board, but not evenly. Apple was the relative winner among the top five, losing less ground than its rivals, while HP posted the steepest fall of any major vendor.
Lenovo stayed on top with 14.9 million units and a 23.8% share, followed by HP with 10.3 million units and 16.5%, and Dell with 7.6 million units and 12.1%. Apple held fourth place with 5.9 million Macs, down from 6.7 million a year earlier, yet its share of the market actually rose from 8.5% to 9.5%. ASUS recorded the smallest decline of the group, down 8.6% with 5.5 million units and an 8.7% share.
- Worldwide PC shipments: 62.7 million units, down 20.1% year over year
- Lenovo: 14.9 million units, 23.8% share, down 22.6%
- HP: 10.3 million units, 16.5% share, down 30.9%
