Rising memory prices suppress demand, global PC shipments in the third quarter have significantly declined

Market research firm Counterpoint Research data shows that in the third quarter of 2026, major personal computer manufacturers experienced double-digit declines in sales, with HP down 31%, Dell down 25%, Lenovo down 23%, and Apple down 11%. The firm expects that personal computer shipments will decline by another 27% in the fourth quarter, with business demand being better than consumer demand, but not enough to offset the overall contraction.

In terms of shipments, Lenovo shipped 15 million units, with a market share of 26.3%; HP shipped 10.3 million units; Dell shipped 7.6 million units; Apple shipped 5.6 million units, with a share of 9.8%, up from 8.7% in the same period last year, as the MacBook Neo alleviated the decline. ASUS saw a shipment decline of 7%.

Counterpoint analyst Minsoo Kang stated that rising memory and component costs are pushing up system prices, causing consumers to delay upgrades. David Naranjo mentioned that the industry is undergoing structural adjustments, with component costs, system prices, and longer upgrade cycles reshaping the market. The report also stated that the increase in DRAM and NAND prices may slow down in the first half of 2027, and Micron indicated that the chip shortage may last until 2028.