PC shipments fall 7% in the United States during the first quarter of 2026

The memory crisis which started at the end of last year continues to do its thing. Not only has it multiplied the prices of RAM memory and other components, has also made related products more expensive such as consoles either laptops. According to Omdiashipments of PCs During the first quarter they fell by USA a 7%the biggest drop since 2023which was also a complicated year.

PC shipments in the United States fall 7% due to the increase in memory and SSD prices

The shipments of PCsexcluding the tabletshave fallen a 7% year-on-year in the United States during this first quarter of the year, reducing to only 15.8 million units. A figure that clearly reflects the current problem with prices and supply of memorydiverted towards other sectors that want to satisfy the needs of the Artificial intelligence.

The problem has caused the low cost PCsintended for basic tasks and which could previously be found at very competitive prices, have practically disappeared. These teams have lost margin due to the sharp increase in the price of the DDR5 memories and the SSD. In fact, PC shipments of less than 500 dollars have suffered an even greater decline, with a decrease in 18.7% year-on-year.

Omdia predicts that the downward trend will continue throughout 2026

But the negative trend will continue during this 2026with figures that according to Omdia could be placed in a 14.4% less regarding 2025. Some data that once again confirms that the memory crisis will continue to mark the market throughout this year.

However, the Business PCs They have not had such a bad quarter, although they maintain the downward trend. Your shipments have decreased by 5%driven by an almost mandatory update to Windows 11in addition to advance purchases due to a possible price increase for the second half of the year.

Prices have also not been as high as initially expected, with an average increase in 4% during this first quarter. Even so, this increase is expected to reach 12% during the second quarter and surpassed it in the second half of the year.

AI powers enterprise PCs as Dell regains US leadership

The interest in AI on business PCs has managed to reach up to 44% of the total shipments of this segment. Large companies are increasingly showing more interest in this type of equipment, which also has a higher price.

This will lead to a forecast of growth in the Business PCs of up to a 11% by 2026while the consumer PCs will go up a 10% and those intended for education They will maintain a stable price.

As for manufacturers in the United States, H.P. has lost the leadership going down to the 20.5% and remaining in second position. Dell regains first place with a 25%while Lenovo occupies third position with a 20%very close to HP. Apple is in fourth place with a 16.9%followed by Acer with a 5.7%while the rest of the brands add a 12% of the market.

A complicated situation for this beginning of 2026and that does not aim to improve in the remainder of the year, where once again the main protagonist is the Artificial intelligence.