Apple’s Mac Sales Surge While the Global PC Sales Fall

Apple recorded the strongest performance among major computer manufacturers during the second quarter of 2026, even as global PC shipments declined sharply.

According to IDC, Apple shipped 6.7 million Macs during the quarter, representing a 10.1% increase from the 6.1 million units shipped in the same period last year. Its market share rose from 8.5% to 9.9%.

Rival Shipments Decline

Lenovo remained the world’s largest PC manufacturer despite shipments falling from 17 million to 16.6 million units. Its market share increased from 23.7% to 24.4% because the wider market contracted more quickly.

HP remained in second place with 13 million shipments, down from 14.3 million in the second quarter of 2025. Its market share declined from 19.9% to 19.1%.

Dell followed in third place after shipping 9.3 million computers, compared with 9.8 million a year earlier.

Apple ranked fourth, while Asus finished fifth with approximately five million shipments. Asus recorded marginal growth of 0.2%, while its market share increased from 7% to 7.4%.

Global Market Shrinks

Worldwide PC shipments fell by 4.9% year over year, dropping from 71.7 million units in the second quarter of 2025 to 68.2 million in the latest quarter.

IDC attributed the decline largely to the ongoing memory shortage, which has increased RAM, SSD and broader component costs. Higher prices have forced manufacturers to raise PC prices, weakening demand.

MacBook Neo Drives Growth

Apple’s performance was supported by strong demand for the MacBook Neo, which helped the company gain share while most competitors recorded lower shipments.

The company also avoided much of the quarter’s pricing pressure because it introduced its Mac price increases near the end of June, which was also the end of the reporting period. The full effect of those higher prices on Mac demand should become clearer in the third-quarter figures.

Further Slowdown Expected

IDC expects PC market conditions to worsen during the second half of 2026 as the memory shortage continues.

The research firm has warned that manufacturers are preparing for further price increases extending into 2027, with no meaningful relief from memory supply constraints expected before the end of that year.