The global PC market just hit a wall. After nine consecutive quarters of growth, worldwide PC shipments fell 4.9% year-over-year in Q2 2026 to 68.2 million units, according to fresh data from IDC. The culprit? A brutal memory chip shortage — dubbed “RAMageddon” — fueled by the AI industry’s insatiable appetite for high-bandwidth memory (HBM).
The Numbers Don’t Lie
IDC’s Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker published July 8 reveals the first shipment decline after a remarkable two-year growth streak. While shipments dropped, revenue actually climbed — vendors pushed through price increases faster than demand dropped. This painful disconnect is the hallmark of the ongoing memory supply crisis.
“The real story here is the disconnect between units and dollars: shipments are falling, but revenue is climbing because vendors are pushing through price increases faster than demand is dropping,” said Jitesh Ubrani, research director for consumer devices at IDC.
Why Is This Happening?
The three largest memory manufacturers — Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron — have shifted production capacity from consumer DDR5 RAM to high-bandwidth memory (HBM) used in AI data centers. With OpenAI, Google, Meta, and Anthropic competing for every available HBM module, consumer-grade memory has been starved of supply, causing prices to skyrocket.
The shortage extends beyond RAM. Storage components and geopolitical tensions are adding further pressure. IDC warns the situation won’t ease until early 2028 at the earliest.
Vendor Rankings — Who Won and Lost?
Here’s how the top 5 PC vendors fared in Q2 2026:
- Lenovo — 16.6M units (24.4% share), down 2.1% — held the top spot
- HP Inc — 13.0M units (19.1% share), down 9.0% — hardest hit among the top 3
- Dell Technologies — 9.3M units (13.6% share), down 5.0%
- Apple — 6.7M units (9.9% share), up 10.1% — the only major vendor to grow, thanks to the MacBook Neo launch
- ASUS — 5.0M units (7.4% share), flat at +0.2%
Apple’s growth is particularly notable. While competitors lost ground, the MacBook Neo launch and Apple’s supply chain muscle allowed it to gain share even as it raised prices across its product lineup.
What RAMageddon Means for Consumers
The memory crisis has already driven up prices across the board:
- PCs and laptops — Dell, HP, Acer, and Asus have confirmed incoming price hikes
- Smartphones — Low-end phones are becoming unprofitable; Omdia reports memory costs can now exceed 50% of BOM for budget devices
- Gaming consoles — Xbox prices climbed nearly 25% on some models
- Apple ecosystem — MacBook Pro up $300, iPad Air jumped from $599 to $749, even the HomePod Mini got a $30 bump
- Raspberry Pi and Framework — both raised prices citing memory costs
IDC’s Jean Philippe Bouchard notes that large vendors with buying power are best positioned to weather the storm: “The largest vendors, with their buying power and long-standing supplier ties, are best positioned to take share from smaller rivals.” Meanwhile, smaller players and even established brands are getting squeezed — Nothing canceled an entire phone launch due to component costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will the RAM shortage end?
IDC analysts predict the memory shortage will persist well into 2027, with no meaningful relief expected until early 2028. The AI arms race shows no signs of slowing, and memory manufacturers have little incentive to shift production back to consumer-grade products.
Should I buy a PC now or wait?
If you need a PC, buying sooner rather than later is advisable. Prices are trending upward with no end in sight. Look for deals on existing inventory before further price hikes take effect. The era of “bargain-priced PCs” appears to be behind us for now.
Will Apple’s growth continue through the crisis?
Apple is uniquely positioned with massive buying power and its own chip design (Apple Silicon), giving it supply chain advantages. However, even Tim Cook has called current pricing “unsustainable” and the company is reportedly seeking exceptions to buy memory from alternative suppliers, including blacklisted Chinese manufacturer CXMT.
We’ll be closely tracking how the RAM shortage evolves through the second half of 2026. Bookmark PC Master Deals for the latest updates.
Source: IDC Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker, July 8, 2026