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ScienceWired1:59 AM

Why it mattersFrance reported the first known human Shamonda virus infection, a livestock pathogen long thought non-transmissible to humans and now spreading across Europe's cattle, though causation is unconfirmed and the patient was severely immunosuppressed.

CompaniesThe Verge12:43 AM

Why it mattersA 21% year-on-year drop in Q3 PC shipments, tied to RAM and chip cost inflation, ending two years of growth, leaves fewer affordable options for price-sensitive buyers and forecasts a further 27% fall in Q4, though it extends an already-reported memory-shorta…

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Companiesvia The VergeToday · 12:43 AM

PC Shipments Fell Over 20 Percent in Q3 as RAM Prices Rose

Audio brief

What happened

Global PC shipments fell 21 percent year over year in the third quarter of 2026, according to Counterpoint Research.

Why it matters

The decline ends a run of more than two years of PC shipment growth, which lasted through the second quarter of 2026.

In detail

The firm ties the drop to months of rising component costs, and says the figure is in line with earlier reports from IDC and Omdia.

Smartphone shipments also hit a 14-year low in the same quarter.

Over recent months, RAM (the memory that lets computers run multiple tasks), SSDs (solid-state storage drives) and chips from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm have all become more expensive.

That has pushed up prices on products ranging from MacBooks to Raspberry Pis.

Counterpoint senior analyst Minsoo Kang said some companies are prioritizing configurations that can better absorb component inflation, leaving fewer affordable choices for price-sensitive buyers.

Some manufacturers are even reviving older technology, such as DDR4 RAM and 4GB graphics cards, to limit price increases.

Counterpoint also noted that Q3 2025 was inflated by purchases ahead of the Windows 10 support deadline and tariff-related inventory adjustments, which sharpened the year-over-year comparison. Looking ahead, the firm expects global shipments to fall 27 percent in Q4 2026 and stay broadly flat in 2027. Associate director David Naranjo cautioned that stabilization should not be mistaken for recovery.

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PC Shipments Fell Over 20 Percent in Q3 as RAM Prices Rose

Audio brief

What happened

Global PC shipments fell 21 percent year over year in the third quarter of 2026, according to Counterpoint Research.

Why it matters

The decline ends a run of more than two years of PC shipment growth, which lasted through the second quarter of 2026.

In detail

The firm ties the drop to months of rising component costs, and says the figure is in line with earlier reports from IDC and Omdia.

Smartphone shipments also hit a 14-year low in the same quarter.

Over recent months, RAM (the memory that lets computers run multiple tasks), SSDs (solid-state storage drives) and chips from Intel, AMD and Qualcomm have all become more expensive.

That has pushed up prices on products ranging from MacBooks to Raspberry Pis.

Counterpoint senior analyst Minsoo Kang said some companies are prioritizing configurations that can better absorb component inflation, leaving fewer affordable choices for price-sensitive buyers.

Some manufacturers are even reviving older technology, such as DDR4 RAM and 4GB graphics cards, to limit price increases.

Importance90out of 100High importance

An automated editorial system rates every story from 0 to 100 for its significance. Only stories above a strict threshold are published; the higher the score, the greater the importance.

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Shamonda Virus: What to Know After the First Reported Human Infection

PC Shipments Fell Over 20 Percent in Q3 as RAM Prices Rose

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Shamonda Virus: What to Know After the First Reported Human Infection

PC Shipments Fell Over 20 Percent in Q3 as RAM Prices Rose

The day's important stories, every morning