PC market sees moderate growth in early 2026

The global PC market saw moderate growth in the first quarter of 2026, despite mounting supply chain pressures and rising component costs. According to analytics firm Omdia, PC shipments increased by 3.2% year-over-year, reaching 64.8 million units.

Laptops, including mobile workstations, drove this growth, with shipments rising 2.6% to 50.8 million units. Desktops showed even stronger momentum, climbing 5.4% to 14 million units. Analysts point to accelerated purchases ahead of expected component price hikes, the ongoing transition from Windows 10 to newer versions, and a wave of new device launches in the spring as key growth factors.

However, analysts warn this uptick may represent the peak for 2026. Starting in the second quarter, significant price increases for memory and storage are anticipated, which will squeeze manufacturer margins. Additional pressure comes from rising processor costs—Intel and AMD forecast hikes of 10-25%. The situation is compounded by high demand from AI data centers, which are aggressively consuming resources and crowding out the consumer segment.

Regional performance is uneven. In North America, distributors have already built up inventory ahead of price rises, while in Japan, the market is slowing due to a high baseline from last year and supply issues, particularly in the education sector. Reduced government support for education could further dampen demand in 2026.

Lenovo remains the market leader, boosting shipments by 8.7% to 16.5 million units and capturing over 25% market share. HP held onto second place but saw shipments decline 4.9% to 12.1 million. Dell grew 7.8%, reaching 10.3 million units. Apple increased shipments by 5.4%, fueled by demand for the MacBook Air and the new MacBook Neo, securing about 11% of the market. ASUS also posted double-digit growth, hitting 4.6 million units and a 7.1% share.