PC buyers face shrinking choices as memory shortages and rising component prices threaten global shipments in 2026 | Daily Reports Online
- Global PC shipments set for sharp decline as component shortages intensify
- Memory and storage prices surge, forcing vendors to rethink PC strategies
- Budget computers face the steepest shipment losses amid tightening component supply
Anyone planning to purchase a new work PC in the coming months may encounter shrinking availability as supply pressures deepen across the industry, experts have warned.
Research from Omdia indicates global shipments of desktops, notebooks, workstations, and even some mini PC designs could drop sharply in 2026.
The projected drop is due to shortages in memory and storage, which are major parts of these devices.
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Rising component costs threaten global PC supply
The Omdia report estimates that worldwide PC shipments will fall by 12% to roughly 245 million units, as increases in component prices, especially memory and storage, are expected to surge by at least 60% during the first quarter of 2026.
Since early 2025, the cost of mainstream memory and storage configurations has already increased by between $90 and $165, which has placed pressure on manufacturers to raise prices or adjust configurations.
Desktops are expected to decline by roughly 10% to 53.2 million units shipped, while laptops could drop by 12% to around 192.2 million units.
Vendors now face difficult trade-offs as supply tightens and manufacturing costs continue rising.
Omdia claims this affects low-priced computers more, and systems priced below $500 could see shipments decline by 28% to about 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 margin room to absorb rising costs, and consumers in this segment are typically more sensitive to price fluctuations,” said Omdia Principal Analyst Ben Yeh.
“In addition, lower-price-band products often rely on lower-capacity, previous-generation components and receive lower allocation priority while facing the hurdle of some suppliers discontinuing production.”
By contrast, higher-priced systems above $900 appear more resilient, and “some consumers and IT decision makers will accept higher price points to meet essential needs.”
However, Yeh cautioned that the movement toward higher price bands “does not necessarily represent improved product configurations.”
The outlook for 2026 points to a difficult year for the global PC market as component shortages and rising costs continue to influence production and pricing decisions.
Market performance will depend largely on how vendors manage production, pricing, and component allocation, with the future market trend remaining uncertain.
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