New research data from Omdia shows U.S. shipments of desktop PCs and laptops fell by 7% year on year in Q1 of this year, totaling just 15.8 million devices. Compounded at both ends, this figure comes from strong Q1 2025 sales as companies and individuals rushed to get ahead of President Trump's tariffs, and the ongoing component shortages, which have driven up prices to unreasonable levels for just about everything.

This decline is the worst since the end of 2023, and is most evident in the lower-end segment. As prices have risen, people haven't been able to buy as many new systems, and those they do buy are more expensive. Average PC prices are predicted to exceed $1,000 by the end of the year, alongside consecutive year-on-year declines in overall sales.