Apple’s Mac increased its market share, even as its shipments fell 11.3% in the third quarter of 2026, as worldwide PC shipments fell more sharply, according to IDC’s latest preliminary estimates.
Apple shipped an estimated 5.9 million Macs between July and September, compared with 6.7 million one year ago. That gave Apple a market share of 9.5%, up from 8.5% in the third quarter of 2025. Apple held onto its fourth place spot in IDC’s vendor rankings.
Across the entire PC market, shipments dropped to 62.7 million units from 78.5 million a year earlier, a decline of 20.1%, following a 3.8% annual decrease in the second quarter. Third-quarter shipments were also 9.1% less than the second-quarter numbers, even though this time of year is usually a busier period for the industry.
Lenovo took the top spot with 14.9 million shipments, HP’s 10.3 million shipped was good enough for second place, and Dell with 7.6 million sits in third place in the rankings. They saw shipping declines of 22.6%, 30.9%, and 25%, respectively. Apple was in the fourth spot, while ASUS filled out the top five with 5.5 million shipments, an 8.6% decrease. ASUS was the only top-five vendor that saw a smaller percentage decline than Apple.
IDC says that during the quarter the channel worked to move through the large volume of PCs shipped in during the previous quarter. As a result, we didn’t see the typical third-quarter seasonal lift in shipment volumes. Manufacturers and distribution partners worked to secure stock sooner than normal, in an effort to limit their exposure to rising memory costs, reducing the volume left for later in the year. Sellers still had plenty of inventory, meaning there was less of a need to order additional computers during the third quarter.
The research firm also cited component shortages and higher prices, thanks to the pressure put on supply and costs, thanks to the expansion of AI data centers.
IDC said that while sellers could offer discounts to reduce unsold stock, prices are not likely to return to where they were a year ago. It also warned that a weakening economy could further tamp down demand through the end of 2026 and into 2027.