- Global PC shipments expected to decline sharply as component shortages intensify
- Memory and storage prices are rising, forcing vendors to rethink their PC strategies
- Budget Computers Face Biggest Delivery Losses Amid Tightening Component Supply
Anyone planning to buy a new work PC in the coming months could face reduced availability as supply pressures mount across the industry, experts have warned.
An Omdia study indicates that global shipments of desktops, laptops, workstations and even some mini-PC models could fall sharply in 2026.
The expected drop is due to shortages of memory and storage, which are major components of these devices.
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Rising component costs threaten global PC supply
The Omdia report estimates that global PC shipments will fall 12% to around 245 million units as rising component prices, including memory and storage, are expected to rise by at least 60% during the first quarter of 2026.
Since the start of 2025, the cost of consumer memory and storage configurations has already increased to between $90 and $165, causing manufacturers to increase prices or adjust configurations.
Desktops are expected to decline about 10%, to 53.2 million units shipped, while laptops could decline 12%, to about 192.2 million units.
Suppliers now face difficult tradeoffs as supply tightens and manufacturing costs continue to rise.
Omdia says this affects lower-cost PCs more, and systems priced below $500 could see shipments decline by 28% to around 62.1 million units in 2026.
Analysts say this segment has less flexibility to absorb price increases without affecting demand.
“For lower-priced products, there is less room to absorb rising costs, and consumers in this segment are generally more sensitive to price fluctuations,” said Ben Yeh, principal analyst at Omdia.
“Additionally, lower priced products often rely on lower capacity components from the previous generation and receive lower allocation priority while facing the hurdle of some suppliers ceasing production. »
On the other hand, more expensive systems, above $900, appear more resilient, and “some consumers and IT decision makers will accept higher prices to meet essential needs.”
However, Yeh cautioned that the move toward higher price brackets “does not necessarily represent an improvement in product configurations.”
The outlook for 2026 portends a challenging year for the global PC market as component shortages and rising costs continue to influence production and pricing decisions.
Market performance will largely depend on how suppliers manage production, pricing and component allocation, with the future market trend remaining uncertain.
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