Slashdot has reported:

Worldwide PC shipments dropped 20.1 per cent year over year to 62.7 million units in the third quarter of 2026, marking the worst Q3 decline in IDC’s records. The top three manufacturers, Lenovo, Dell and HP, each recorded year-over-year shipment declines of more than 20 per cent, according to figures cited by PCMag.

The decline was not the largest across all quarters in recent years. IDC Director Jitesh Ubrani told PCMag by email that shipments fell 28.2 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2022 and 28.7 per cent in the first quarter of 2023, with both drops following pandemic highs. In the latest quarter, shipments also fell 9.1 per cent from the second quarter.

Third-quarter shipments typically rise above second-quarter levels as computer makers bring out products ahead of the holiday shopping season. Ubrani said the usual pattern was disrupted by vendors and distribution channels building inventory early in the year before memory-related price increases.

“What we're seeing is the result of the strong first half pull-in. Vendors and channels loaded up on inventory early in the year to get ahead of [memory-related] price hikes, and that has thrown off the usual seasonality, where Q3 is typically larger than Q2,” Ubrani said in a report on IDC’s preliminary estimates for the quarter.

The weakness follows warnings from IDC and other research firms that an ongoing shortage of memory driven by demand for artificial intelligence could reduce demand for PCs and phones as memory and storage costs climb. The high costs are also suppressing demand for current products.

Ubrani said vendors and retailers could respond with discounts to attract buyers and clear stock. “Channels are now worried about carrying too much inventory into a market where high prices are suppressing demand. That could translate into promotions and some short-term relief for consumers, but we don't expect pricing anywhere near what it was a year ago. Prices will remain elevated,” he added.