From PC Mag: While the world's largest PC vendors are currently in Taipei for Computex 2026, showcasing their latest hardware innovations, a new report from IDC projects a grim year for PC shipments.
Shipments are expected to decline by 11.3% this year, with Q4 projected to see a 20% fall year-over-year. A recent survey by PCMag’s parent company, Ziff Davis, also found that 73% respondents were willing to hold on to their old devices for as long as they worked.
“The global PC market is heading into a turbulent second half of 2026, and there’s no quick fix on the horizon,” IDC says.
The reason for the slowdown, unsurprisingly, is the memory shortage. A large share of the supply is being absorbed by AI companies building AI infrastructure, forcing PC manufacturers to either raise prices or delay shipments. The shortage is expected to persist until the end of 2027, and the average prices of PCs could increase by up to 17% this year, according to IDC.
“We’re not seeing any relief to the memory shortage situation before the end of 2027, which means prices will continue to rise and PC manufacturers will struggle to maintain full product portfolios for the foreseeable future,” says Jean Philippe Bouchard, a senior executive at IDC.
View: Full Article
