New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) Worldwide PC shipments grew 4 per cent year-on-year (YoY) to 62.8 million units in the first quarter of 2026, a report said on Wednesday.

The data compiled by Gartner noted that the growth in PC shipments during the January–March quarter was not entirely reflective of real consumer demand.

Instead, vendors and channel partners increased inventory levels in anticipation of rising component costs in the second quarter of 2026.

Rishi Padhi, Research Principal at Gartner, said the year-on-year growth was ‘artificially inflated,’ primarily due to stockpiling ahead of price increases driven by rising memory prices, commonly referred to as memflation, along with higher costs of DRAM and NAND flash components.

He added that this trend was particularly visible in lower-margin PC segments.

The comparison base also influenced the growth figures, as the first quarter of 2025 had seen elevated shipments due to front-loading ahead of US tariffs, further distorting the year-on-year trend.

In terms of vendor performance, there were no significant changes among the top four global PC makers.

Lenovo maintained its leadership position in worldwide shipments, while HP Inc. retained the second spot despite losing some market share.

Dell Technologies also recorded gains in market share during the quarter.

Among the major vendors, Apple emerged as the fastest-growing player, posting a 12.7 per cent year-on-year increase in shipments.

The growth was largely driven by strong demand for its MacBook Neo lineup, particularly among new users and the education segment.

“This performance was primarily driven by robust demand for the MacBook Neo, particularly among new Mac users and buyers in the education sector,” Padhi stated.

“This strategic positioning enabled Apple to attract cost-conscious consumers seeking high-performance devices, further solidifying its competitive advantage in the segment,” he added.

The report highlighted that this strategic positioning helped Apple attract cost-conscious buyers looking for high-performance devices, strengthening its competitive position in the global PC market.

Meanwhile, ASUS moved ahead of Acer to secure the fifth position in global vendor rankings during the quarter.

–IANS

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