IDC: Apple grows Mac shipments as broader PC market declines

New data from IDC shows that Apple was the only major PC vendor to post significant shipment growth in Q2 2026, with the broader market declining for the first time in more than two years. Here are the details.

Mac shipments rise as PC demand cools

In a report published today, IDC says global PC shipments fell 4.9% year over year in Q2 2026, dropping to 68.2 million units from 71.7 million units in Q2 2025.

The data showed that the top-five vendor ranking was unchanged from Q2 2025, even as most major PC makers posted year-over-year declines.

In practice, Lenovo held on to the top spot with 24.4% market share, despite a 2.1% year-over-year decline in shipments. HP followed with a 19.1% share and a 9% drop, while Dell remained in third place with a 13.6% share and a 5% decline.

Apple, meanwhile, saw Mac shipments jump 10.1% year over year, giving the company 9.9% share, and ASUS rounded out the top five with 7.4% share and a slight 0.2% increase.

From the report:

“Apple’s share gain coincided with its latest product launch, the MacBook Neo, and while the company did raise prices in line with the broader market, it still remains well positioned against rivals facing the same cost pressures.”

Unsurprisingly, IDC says the market-wide drop was driven largely by the ongoing memory supply crunch and resulting price increases, though it added that “geopolitical issues” also played a role.

Here’s Jitesh Ubrani, research director for consumer devices at IDC:

“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. […] Given worsening macro conditions and a memory shortage that isn’t expected to ease until early 2028, we don’t expect another round of inventory pull-forward, which points to a sharp slowdown in growth rates in the second half of 2026. Vendors are bracing for further price hikes into 2027, and channels are already flagging concern about elevated inventory at these higher price points.”

IDC also warned that sustained price pressure could start weighing on PC upgrade cycles, “even as interest in on-device AI processing continues to grow.” The firm also pointed to another risk: the biggest PC makers gaining even more share as smaller rivals struggle with the memory crunch.

As IDC’s chart shows, Q2 2026 marked the first year-over-year decline in PC shipments since 2024, though shipments were still slightly above Q2 2024 levels in raw units. Whether they will remain above that level in the coming quarters remains to be seen, although IDC’s outlook doesn’t give much reason for optimism for the near-term.

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