Worldwide PC shipments increased by 4% year-on-year to 62.8 million units in the first quarter of 2026, according to a Gartner report. The growth in PC shipments during January–March was influenced by vendors and channel partners building up inventory in anticipation of higher component costs in the second quarter of 2026. Rishi Padhi, a Research Principal at Gartner, mentioned that the year-on-year growth was artificially inflated due to stockpiling ahead of price hikes driven by rising memory prices and higher costs of DRAM and NAND flash components, a phenomenon known as memflation.
The comparison base from the first quarter of 2025, which had seen increased shipments due to front-loading before US tariffs, also impacted the growth figures. Among the top four global PC makers, there were no significant changes in vendor performance. Lenovo maintained its leading position in worldwide shipments, with HP Inc. following in the second spot despite a slight market share loss. Dell Technologies experienced gains in market share during the quarter. Apple emerged as the fastest-growing player among major vendors, with a 12.7% year-on-year increase in shipments.
The growth for Apple was driven by strong demand for its MacBook Neo lineup, especially from new users and the education sector. Rishi Padhi noted that this success was due to the MacBook Neo’s appeal to cost-conscious consumers seeking high-performance devices, enhancing Apple’s competitive edge in the market. ASUS surpassed Acer to claim the fifth position in global vendor rankings during the quarter.
