Worldwide PC shipments saw a 4.9% decline between the second quarter of last year and the second quarter of this year, marking the first such decrease after nine consecutive quarters of growth. This downturn is attributed to the ongoing memory crisis, which has driven up component costs.
Major manufacturers like Lenovo, HP, and Dell experienced drops in unit shipments, with Lenovo falling from 17 million to 16.6 million units, HP from 14.3 million to 13 million, and Dell from 9.8 million to 9.3 million. Asus remained nearly flat. In contrast, Apple saw a substantial increase, growing from 6.1 million to 6.7 million units, a 10% rise that boosted its market share from 8.5% to 9.9%.
Despite the fall in unit sales, many PC vendors have managed to maintain or even increase revenue. This is because they are offsetting declining demand by passing on increased costs to consumers. IDC research director for consumer devices, Jitesh Ubrani, stated, "The real story here is the disconnect between units and dollars: shipments are falling, but revenue is climbing because vendors are pushing through price increases faster than demand is dropping."
Looking ahead, supply chain management and securing long-term contracts for memory and storage will be critical. Larger manufacturers' enhanced buying power could make it more challenging for smaller companies to navigate the market. Apple's recent success with its budget-oriented MacBook Neo, for example, coincided with its market share gain. Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC's vice president for consumer devices, noted that while Apple also raised prices, it remained well-positioned against rivals facing similar cost pressures.
While this report focuses on global PC shipments broadly, gaming PCs historically exhibit different trends during market declines. However, the current economic climate and memory crisis are described as far from normal, with some analysts predicting price reductions from major memory suppliers like SK Hynix by late 2028, though further increases may occur before then. The duration of the memory crisis remains uncertain, with optimistic projections suggesting it could last another year and a half.