Apple stood out in the global PC market during the second quarter of 2026. The company posted strong growth at a time when overall computer shipments dropped sharply across the industry. New data from IDC shows Apple shipped 6.7 million Macs during the quarter. That figure marks a 10.1% increase from the 6.1 million units it shipped in the same period last year. Apple also expanded its market share from 8.5% to 9.9%.
Lenovo kept its position as the world’s largest PC maker. However, its shipments slipped from 17 million units to 16.6 million units. Even so, Lenovo’s market share rose from 23.7% to 24.4% because the overall market declined at a faster pace.
HP remained the second-largest PC vendor. The company shipped 13 million computers during the quarter, down from 14.3 million units a year ago. Its market share also dropped from 19.9% to 19.1%.
Dell secured the third spot after shipping 9.3 million computers. In the second quarter of 2025, the company shipped 9.8 million units.
Global PC Market Continues to Slow
Apple finished fourth in the global rankings, while Asus claimed the fifth position with nearly five million shipments. Asus posted a modest growth rate of 0.2%. Its market share also increased from 7% to 7.4%.
Meanwhile, the global PC market continued to shrink. Worldwide shipments fell by 4.9% year over year. The market shipped 68.2 million units in the second quarter of 2026, compared with 71.7 million units during the same period last year.
IDC said the ongoing memory shortage remains the biggest reason behind the decline. The shortage has pushed up the prices of RAM, SSDs, and other computer components. As a result, manufacturers have raised PC prices, which has weakened consumer demand.
MacBook Neo Helps Apple Gain Market Share
Apple’s growth came largely from strong demand for the MacBook Neo. The new laptop helped the company gain market share while most rivals recorded lower shipments.
The company also avoided much of the pricing pressure during the quarter. Apple introduced higher Mac prices near the end of June, which coincided with the end of the reporting period. Therefore, the full impact of those price increases may become clearer in third-quarter results.
Looking ahead, IDC expects market conditions to become even more challenging in the second half of 2026. The research firm believes the memory shortage will continue to affect the industry.
IDC also warned that PC makers are preparing for more price increases that could extend into 2027. According to the firm, meaningful improvement in memory supplies is not expected before the end of next year.
