New research from Counterpoint corroborates that the PC market has finally been impacted by the memory crisis to the extent that global shipments have gone down for the first time since the first quarter of 2025. In the second quarter this year there were 4% fewer global PC shipments than the same time last year. This backs up what the IDC reported earlier this month.
Counterpoint explains: "While commercial refresh cycles tied to Windows migration and AI PC adoption continue to support demand, surging memory prices and higher component costs are increasingly constraining OEM production plans and suppressing consumer demand. The sharp increase in DRAM prices has significantly raised PC bill-of-material (BoM) costs, forcing OEMs to implement price increases, reduce entry-level configurations, or prioritize higher-margin premium systems."
