Worldwide PC shipments fell 20.1% year over year in the third quarter of 2026, to 62.7 million units, according to preliminary results from IDC. IDC's October 8 release calls it the second consecutive decline, and a deeper one than the 3.8% drop in the second quarter. Shipments also fell 9.1% from the second quarter.

Why it matters

Part of this drop is timing: vendors bought inventory early, which pulled demand out of Q3. Channels may now push promotions to clear stock, but IDC expects prices to stay elevated, so any relief is short-term.

Who fell most

IDC's top five vendors all shipped fewer PCs than a year earlier:

  • Lenovo: 14.9 million, down 22.6%
  • HP: 10.3 million, down 30.9%
  • Dell: 7.6 million, down 25.0%
  • Apple: 5.9 million, down 11.3%
  • ASUS: 5.5 million, down 8.6%

Engadget and 9to5Mac relay the same IDC figures. 9to5Mac notes that Apple's share of worldwide PC shipments rose from 8.5% to 9.5%, which matches IDC's table.

Why shipments dropped

IDC says vendors and channels bought inventory earlier in the year, ahead of price hikes. That pulled demand out of the third quarter, which normally sells more than the second. IDC also cites continued supply constraints and high prices.

Jitesh Ubrani, IDC's research director for consumer devices, said: "Channels are now worried about carrying too much inventory into a market where high prices are suppressing demand."

What it means for buyers

IDC says that channel worry "could translate into promotions and some short-term relief for consumers." It also says prices will stay high: "we don't expect pricing anywhere near what it was a year ago. Prices will remain elevated."

IDC's outlook is cautious. It says macro conditions have worsened since the last quarter, and that "the risk is that the outlook for the next few quarters gets worse before it gets better."

What is still unknown

These are IDC's preliminary results, and the release does not give a forecast figure. The count covers traditional PCs: desktops, notebooks and workstations. Tablets are excluded. IDC does not say when or how large any promotions will be.