The global PC market experienced a significant decline in the second quarter of 2026. According to a new study by Counterpoint Research, shipments fell 4% year-over-year to approximately 65 million units. This ends a growth streak that had persisted since Q1 2025. The report aligns with IDC's earlier forecast of an 11.3% decline for the full year, with Q4 shipments potentially dropping by a whopping 20%.
Soaring DRAM and NAND prices are the primary culprit
The cause of the decline is the same factor driving up tech prices across the board: skyrocketing DRAM and NAND costs, fueled by the sudden proliferation of AI data centers worldwide. PC manufacturers have had to choose between raising consumer prices or absorbing higher component costs, and most have chosen the former. Unsurprisingly, shipments have finally started to drop. Counterpoint notes that commercial buyers are proving more resilient, buoyed by the ongoing migration from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Without this boost, the overall picture would be much worse.
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ASUS is the only Windows PC maker to see growth
ASUS posted a 4% year-over-year increase in global shipments, while Lenovo, Dell, HP, and other brands saw declines of up to 9%. Apple had the best quarter, with MacBook shipments climbing an impressive 13%, largely thanks to the popularity of its budget MacBook Neo. For budget-conscious shoppers, the outlook is grim. With component prices expected to stay high through the second half of 2026, the market is shifting toward premium AI PCs, where better performance and on-device AI features make higher prices more palatable. As David Naranjo of Counterpoint advises, those in need of a new PC should buy sooner rather than later, despite already inflated costs.
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For gamers, titles like Halo Campaign Evolved show that even on low settings, excellent graphics are possible, but the memory crisis makes affordable hardware harder to find. Businesses managing multiple platforms might benefit from tools like multi-channel publishing to streamline operations, though they still require capable PCs.
According to Wikipedia on the DRAM price crisis, the shortage is expected to persist. Counterpoint Research forecasts that component prices will remain elevated until at least the end of 2027, so waiting for a price drop is not advisable. If your current PC won't last another couple of years, it is best to buy now.
Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/hardware/laptops/global-pc-shipments-fall-q2-2026
