Overview
- Counterpoint’s Q3 data showed global PC shipments fell about 21% year‑over‑year to roughly 57 million units, a result reported on Oct. 22 by multiple outlets.
- Analysts now expect an even steeper decline in Q4 with Counterpoint forecasting a 27% year‑over‑year drop and 2027 volumes to stabilize at a lower baseline.
- Contract component costs jumped sharply in Q3 — Counterpoint recorded an around 24% quarter‑over‑quarter rise for 8GB DDR4 modules and a 29% rise for 1TB NVMe SSDs — and the firm projects further RAM and SSD price increases into late 2026 and early 2027.
- Most major OEMs posted double‑digit shipment declines in Q3 (HP −31%, Dell −25%, Lenovo −23%), while Apple and ASUS outperformed peers with Apple’s share rising to 9.8% helped by the lower‑priced MacBook Neo.
- Higher memory and system prices are delaying consumer replacements and shifting OEM strategy toward premium or margin‑resilient configurations, a change that could lengthen replacement cycles, lift demand for refurbished devices, and keep market volumes lower for years with Micron warning shortages may persist into 2028.