‘The era of bargain-priced PCs is behind us’

Analyst firm IDC said that memory shortages and other obstacles are proving to be more challenging to overcome than previously thought, prompting the firm to lower its PC forecast for 2026 and to declare PC bargains essentially dead.

The firm identified a bright spot, but not for consumers: the rising prices will help contribute to revenue growth.

Last November, IDC predicted that PC sales would fall 2.4 percent this year. The firm revised its forecasts on Thursday to predict...