Apple surges as rivals sink in PC market slowdown

Apple silicon has unleashed counter-intuitive growth for Apple in the just gone quarter, while global PC shipment fell 4.9%, IDC says Apple enjoyed phenomenal 10.1% growth, up from 9.9% the quarter before.

You just know that the MacBook Neo has helped Apple achieve this success, and while it has been forced to raise prices it still competes on price, performance, build quality and everything else more than others. 

Well-positioned against rivals

Commenting on the data, Jean Philippe Bouchard, vice president for consumer devices at IDC. “Apple’s share gain coincided with its latest product launch, the MacBook Neo, and while the company did raise prices in line with the broader market, it still remains well positioned against rivals facing the same cost pressures.”

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Beyond the memory supply crunch, other components such as storage, along with geopolitical issues, have continued to weigh on the market.

This may well get worse before becoming better, the analysts warn – suggesting that industry consolidation may also take place as leading brands squeeze out competitors.

Price crunch is here

“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.

“Given worsening macro conditions and a memory shortage that isn’t expected to ease until early 2028, we don’t expect another round of inventory pull-forward, which points to a sharp slowdown in growth rates in the second half of 2026. Vendors are bracing for further price hikes into 2027, and channels are already flagging concern about elevated inventory at these higher price points.” 

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