IDC: Global PC market sales slump, but revenues hold steady

IDC has released its latest figures on the state of the global PC market. Unsurprisingly, unit sales are falling sharply - but revenues are not.

When an industry is under strain, it is usually the customer who ends up footing the bill. As the shortage of RAM pushes prices upwards, PC sales are sliding. IDC has now published its worldwide computer-market data, and the picture is grim.

IDC global PC market: shipments down in Q2 2026

Across all brands, PC shipments dropped by almost 4.9% in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period in 2025. It is the first time in nine quarters that the market has posted a year-on-year decline. Just 68.2 million machines were shipped worldwide.

Manufacturers raise prices

According to IDC, this downturn is not (yet) hurting manufacturers. They have, in fact, put prices up, which has lifted revenue - as Jitesh Ubrani, Research Director at the firm, explains:

“The real issue is the mismatch between volumes sold and revenue: shipments are declining, but revenue is rising, because vendors are implementing price increases faster than demand is falling.”

Put simply, makers inflated the bill well before the RAM crisis fully hit, allowing them to keep their heads above water. Once again, it is consumers who lose out. And those consumers, it is worth remembering, are merely enduring the AI obsession of the biggest groups, which are snapping up the available RAM.

RAM shortage, AI demand and what happens next

Ubrani expects this to drag on:

“Given the deterioration in the macroeconomic environment and a memory shortage that is not expected to ease before early 2028, we do not anticipate any inventory rebuild, which suggests a clear slowdown in growth in the second half of 2026. Vendors are preparing for further price increases in 2027, and channel partners are already concerned about elevated inventory levels at these higher prices.”

Apple stands out

Most manufacturers are seeing a clear fall in sales, with one notable exception: Apple. The Cupertino company is riding the success of its MacBook Neo, released in March, which helped it deliver 10% growth compared with the same period last year - as Jean-Philippe Bouchard, Vice President for IDC’s Worldwide Consumer Device Track, notes:

“Apple’s market share gains coincided with the launch of its latest product, the MacBook Neo. While the company did raise prices to align with the broader market, it remains well positioned compared with competitors facing the same cost pressures.”

It is a performance rivals would like to replicate. At Computex, several manufacturers announced premium-design PCs at accessible prices, aiming to challenge Apple on its own turf. Among them are Asus, Acer, Dell and Tecno. This new segment could quickly become the market’s next champion, as the RAM crisis looks set to persist.