New Delhi, April 15: A report released on Wednesday indicates that global PC shipments increased by 4% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026 (January-March), reaching 62.8 million units.
According to data compiled by Gartner, this growth does not fully reflect genuine consumer demand. Instead, companies and distributors have stockpiled more units in anticipation of rising component prices in the second quarter.
Rishi Padhy, a research principal at Gartner, noted that the annual growth was “artificially inflated” due to rising memory prices—often referred to as “memflation”—and fears of increased costs for components like DRAM and NAND flash.
This trend is particularly pronounced in the low-margin PC segment. Additionally, the basis for comparison also affects this growth, as higher shipments were made in the first quarter of 2025 due to fears of U.S. tariffs, making this year’s figures appear more robust.
In terms of company performance, there has been little change among the top four global PC manufacturers. Lenovo maintained its number one position, while HP Inc. held second place, although its market share has slightly decreased.
Dell Technologies, on the other hand, increased its market share this quarter. Meanwhile, Apple emerged as the fastest-growing company, with a year-on-year shipment increase of 12.7%.
This growth is largely attributed to strong demand for its MacBook Neo series, driven by new users and buyers in the education sector. The report suggests that Apple’s strategy has attracted customers seeking better performance at lower prices, thereby strengthening the company’s market position.
Additionally, ASUS surpassed Acer to secure the fifth position in the global rankings this quarter.
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