While the global PC market is showing signs of healthy recovery, the U.S. market is lagging behind as uncertainty around import tariffs looms. According to IDC’s preliminary second-quarter data for 2025, worldwide PC shipments rose by 6.5 percent year-over-year, totaling 68.4 million units. This growth is largely driven by renewed global demand, especially as enterprises and consumers replace aging systems and transition to Windows 11. However, the U.S. PC market alone recorded zero percent growth, a stark contrast to the 9 percent increase seen in other regions.
IDC attributes the U.S. slowdown in part to an inventory buildup earlier in the year, when PC vendors overproduced devices in anticipation of potential import tariffs. As that looming tariff deadline approaches, demand in the U.S. has flattened, with consumers and businesses alike pausing purchases amid pricing uncertainty. “We expected the U.S. market to cool down,” said Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC’s research VP for mobile device trackers. “But what we’re seeing now might be more serious—demand is softening ahead of the tariffs.”
This puts PC makers in a tricky position. Some are weighing whether to capitalize on a cooling market by building more units, while others are cautious not to create another glut of unsold inventory. “The bigger concern is what demand will look like as we head into late Q3 and beyond,” said Ryan Reith, IDC’s group VP. While tariffs are expected to drive prices up, Reith suggests vendors may actually respond with promotions or temporary discounts to offload overstock, creating an odd mix of rising costs and selective deals.
In terms of market share, Lenovo remains the world’s largest PC vendor, holding 24.8 percent of shipments. HP follows at 20.7 percent, then Dell at 14.3 percent, and Apple at 9.1 percent. Apple stood out this quarter with a 21.4 percent growth in year-over-year shipments—the strongest performance among major players—possibly driven by recent M-series Mac upgrades and back-to-school promotions. Asus rounded out the top five with 7.2 percent of the global PC market.
With rising production costs, unstable U.S. demand, and a shifting global economy, the second half of 2025 may test how resilient PC makers really are. The global growth trend is encouraging, but the U.S. market remains a question mark, held back by economic uncertainty and the effects of geopolitics.
