According to a fresh study by Counterpoint Research, worldwide personal computer shipments dropped 21% year-on-year down to 57 million units during the third quarter of 2026. Every major personal computer producer felt the impact of this drop, as climbing expenses for components drove laptop prices upward and lowered interest from buyers.

Counterpoint pointed to growing prices for DRAM and NAND memory as the primary drivers behind the market deceleration. Because production expenses increased, laptops grew costlier, which led buyers to postpone buying new devices and upgrades.

Global PC Market Share

Keeping its spot at the top, Lenovo stayed the biggest personal computer maker globally by shipping roughly 15 million units across the July to September timeframe, capturing a 26.3% share of the market.

Taking second place, HP delivered 10.3 million units for an 18.1% share, whereas Dell took the third spot with 7.6 million shipments and a 13.3% share.

Apple grew its market share to 9.8%, driven by consistent interest in the MacBook Neo model. Even so, the company saw its shipments drop 11% year-on-year to roughly 5.6 million units.

Asus likewise expanded its market share to reach 9.2%, delivering about 5.2 million personal computers. The firm posted a 19.4% rise in shipments measured against the preceding quarter.

PC Market Expected to Decline Further

Counterpoint Research projects that worldwide personal computer shipments will drop further through the fourth quarter of 2026, predicting a 27% year-on-year decrease.

The organization additionally anticipates that shipments will stay generally flat throughout 2027, indicating the sector might level out without seeing a strong rebound.

Extended replacement timelines, softer buyer demand, and elevated component expenses are projected to keep impacting the sector.

While corporate acquisitions and transitions to newer Windows platforms offer a degree of backing, they have failed to balance out the broader downturn.

Producers must reconcile growing manufacturing expenses against accessible pricing while buyers keep putting off their acquisitions.