Abstract:
The latest preliminary data released by market research firm IDC shows that although Apple's Mac computer shipments declined year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026, Apple has further increased its market share due to the greater overall shrinkage of the global personal computer market.
Data shows that Apple shipped approximately 5.9 million Mac computers from July to September 2026, a decrease of 11.3% from 6.7 million units in the same period in 2025. However, Apple's market share during the same period increased from 8.5% in the third quarter of last year to 9.5%, continuing to rank fourth among global PC manufacturers.
From the perspective of the entire industry, global PC market shipments dropped to 62.7 million units in the third quarter, a significant decrease of 20.1% from 78.5 million units in the same period last year. This compares with a year-over-year decline of 3.8% in the second quarter of this year. It is worth noting that the third quarter is usually a relatively busy sales season for the PC industry, but shipments this quarter were still 9.1% lower than the second quarter, reflecting a significant weakening of market demand.
In terms of manufacturer rankings, Lenovo continued to rank first in the world with 14.9 million units shipped; HP ranked second with 10.3 million units; and Dell ranked third with 7.6 million units. Shipments of these three companies fell by 22.6%, 30.9% and 25% year-on-year respectively. Asus, which ranked fifth, shipped 5.5 million units, down 8.6% year-on-year, becoming the only company among the world's top five PC manufacturers to have a decline lower than Apple.
IDC analysis believes that the market weakness in this quarter is related to the advance preparation of goods by manufacturers and channel providers. Worried about rising memory chip prices, many companies choose to purchase inventory early, causing orders that should have been generated in the second half of the year to be digested in advance. At this stage, there is still a lot of inventory in the channel, so the demand for new equipment orders in the third quarter has weakened significantly.
At the same time, IDC also pointed out that shortages in parts supply and rising costs also put pressure on the market. Research institutions believe that the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence data center construction is driving up demand for related components and further affecting supply chain costs. Apple has raised the prices of some products in June this year, and former CEO Tim Cook also mentioned during the company's July earnings call that memory costs are rising sharply.
IDC predicts that in order to digest the backlog of inventory, channel vendors may launch more discount promotions in the future. However, the agency also said that the possibility of market prices returning to the levels a year ago is low. In addition, the weakening global economic environment may continue to suppress consumer demand and extend this pressure to the end of 2026 or even 2027.
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