- Global PC shipments fell roughly 4% year-over-year during Q2 2026.
- Unsurprisingly, this decline is attributed largely to the ongoing memory supply crunch.
- Apple was reportedly the only major PC brand to record growth, helped by the MacBook Neo.
The PC market has seen plenty of growth over the years. In particular, PC gaming has attracted the interest of millions of consumers in the last decade. However, global PC shipments declined approximately 4% year-over-year in the second quarter of 2026, ending a recovery streak that had continued since early 2025.
Why it matters: Higher memory costs have already made gaming PCs, laptops, graphics cards, and future handheld hardware more expensive. This now puts the future of the market at risk.
According to Counterpoint Research, the drop represents the market’s first year-over-year shipment decline since Q1 2025.
To nobody’s surprise, the research firm points to memory shortages and rising component costs as key factors behind the reversal. The research shows that 65 million shipments were recorded throughout the quarter.
Previous research already predicted a PC shipments decline of over 10% for the entire year. Ultimately, constrained memory availability has increased pressure on manufacturers already balancing tight profit margins and price-sensitive consumers.
Apple was said to be the only major PC vendor to improve its shipment performance during the quarter. The company’s result was supported by demand for the MacBook Neo, which has itself received a price hike recently.
It remains to be seen how long the memory shortage will continue or whether shipment performance will recover during the second half of 2026. Much will depend on component availability, manufacturer pricing, and whether consumers accept higher system costs.
Would higher memory and system prices convince you to delay your next PC gaming upgrade?
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[Senior News Reporter]
Avinash is currently pursuing a Business degree in Australia. For more than 5 years, he has been working as a gaming journalist, utilizing his writing skills and love for gaming to report on the latest updates in the industry. Avinash loves to play action games like Devil May Cry and has also been mentioned on highly regarded websites, such as IGN, GamesRadar, GameRant, Dualshockers, CBR, and Gamespot.
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