Personal computer shipments experienced a steep contraction in the third quarter of 2026, with analysts reporting a decline of approximately 20 percent. Omdia announced this week that the downturn represents the “sharpest decline since Q1 2023” for the global industry.
According to the analyst firm, worldwide deliveries of laptops, desktops, and workstations dropped 21.2 percent year over year, totaling 58.1 million devices. The data indicates broad weakness across all major segments of the market.
Desktop PC shipments, which includes desktop workstations, fell by 23.5 percent, reaching 11.7 million units. Meanwhile, laptop shipments, inclusive of laptop workstations, decreased by 20.6 percent to 46.4 million units.
Ouch for hardware retailers. Maybe everyone is finally switching to mobile-only, but that’s a huge fall in one quarter.
Twenty percent drop is massive. Are people just not upgrading anymore, or has the market peaked?