PC market shows growth
Global PC shipments grew in Q1 according to Omdia‑sourced reporting, a short-term uptick that could support more editing setups and hardware upgrades among creators. The report also cautions this may be one of the last healthy quarters before potential shortages tighten supply. For creators, modest hardware market strength can mean a steadier base of buyers for workflow products and accessory partners. (computerweekly.com)
The personal computer market was supposed to be heading into a rough 2026, and yet the first quarter still went up. Research firm Omdia said global shipments of desktops, notebooks, and workstations reached 64.8 million units in the first three months of 2026, up 3.2% from a year earlier. (omdia.tech.informa.com) That jump does not mean shoppers suddenly went on a buying spree. Omdia said manufacturers pulled deliveries forward to get machines into the channel before higher costs and supply-chain pressure hit harder later in the year. (omdia.tech.informa.com) A shipment is not the same thing as a sale to a person at a checkout page. It means a computer maker sent machines to retailers, distributors, or business customers, which is why shipment data often moves before consumer demand shows up in store receipts. (gartner.com) The pressure point is memory, which is the chip space a computer uses to keep active work moving. International Data Corporation said a memory shortage was already pushing up average selling prices and could turn 2026 from a small-growth year into a decline if supply stays tight. (idc.com) Omdia also pointed to tariffs, which are import taxes that raise the landed cost of a machine before it ever reaches a buyer. Its analysts said vendors accelerated shipments in part to protect margins before those tariff effects spread through pricing. (omdia.tech.informa.com) Lenovo stayed in first place in Omdia’s ranking with 16.5 million units shipped in the quarter, equal to more than 25% of the global market. Hewlett Packard, usually written as HP, shipped 12.1 million units but declined from a year earlier, while Dell shipped 10.3 million and grew 7.8%. (omdia.tech.informa.com) Apple gained ground too, but the exact pace depends on which research firm you read. Omdia put Apple at 7.1 million units and 5.4% growth, while International Data Corporation estimated 6.9 million units and 9% growth, which is a normal gap because these firms use different channel checks and models. (omdia.tech.informa.com) (macrumors.com) The same split shows up in the market total. Omdia measured 3.2% growth to 64.8 million units, Gartner measured 4.0% growth to 59 million units, and International Data Corporation measured 2.5% growth to 65.6 million units, because each firm defines the market and estimates channels a little differently. (omdia.tech.informa.com) (gartner.com) (computerworld.com) What all three firms agree on is smaller than the disagreement. The first quarter was positive, the top vendors were still Lenovo, HP, and Dell, and the rest of 2026 looks shakier because memory shortages, higher component costs, and tariff pressure are lining up at the same time. (omdia.tech.informa.com) (idc.com) (gartner.com) So this quarter looks less like a clean recovery and more like a rush before the weather changes. Computer Weekly’s write-up called it “one of the last good quarters,” which fits the data: a healthy-looking quarter on paper, with enough warning signs underneath that vendors are already bracing for a tighter second half. (computerweekly.com)
