IDC: Global PC shipments fall 20.1% in Q3 2026 as Apple's Mac share rises

Worldwide PC shipments fell 20.1% year over year to 62.7 million units in the third quarter of 2026, according to preliminary data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) reported by 9to5Mac, Engadget and MacRumors. MacRumors reported that shipments stood at 78.5 million a year earlier and that the downturn followed a 3.8% annual decrease in the second quarter. Third-quarter shipments were also 9.1% below the second-quarter total, which MacRumors noted came despite this usually being a busier period for the industry. Ars Technica described the drop as the "sharpest decline" since Q1 2023. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]

Apple shipped an estimated 5.9 million Macs between July and September, down 11.3% from 6.7 million a year earlier. Because the overall market fell more sharply, Apple's share of worldwide PC shipments rose from 8.5% to 9.5%, and the company kept fourth place in IDC's vendor rankings. [ 1 , 3 ]

Lenovo led the market with 14.9 million shipments and a 23.8% share, according to 9to5Mac, followed by HP with 10.3 million and a 16.5% share, and Dell with 7.6 million and a 12.1% share. MacRumors put the declines for Lenovo, HP and Dell at 22.6%, 30.9% and 25% respectively. ASUS, in fifth place with 5.5 million shipments, recorded an 8.6% decrease, the smallest among the top five vendors. [ 1 , 3 ]

IDC attributed the weak quarter partly to the timing of earlier orders: vendors and channels bought inventory earlier in the year ahead of price hikes and to limit exposure to rising memory costs, pulling demand out of the third quarter. The firm also cited supply constraints and elevated prices. MacRumors reported that IDC linked component shortages and higher costs to the expansion of AI data centers, and noted that Apple raised prices in June, with former CEO Tim Cook citing sharply rising memory expenses on the company's July earnings call. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

"Channels are now worried about carrying too much inventory into a market where high prices are suppressing demand," Jitesh Ubrani, IDC's research director for consumer devices, said. "That could translate into promotions and some short-term relief for consumers, but we don't expect pricing anywhere near what it was a year ago." He added that with macro conditions worsening, the outlook for the next few quarters could get worse before it gets better. According to MacRumors, IDC warned that a weakening economy could further depress demand through the end of 2026 and into 2027. Engadget noted that IDC reported its first decline in PC shipments in nine quarters in July 2026, a few months after cutting its forecast for the 2026 PC market. [ 2 , 3 ]