Apple set to achieve record market share in 2026 amid rising memory prices

Apple is forecast to reach its highest market share for tablets, smartphones and Macs by 2026, according to Counterpoint Research. The company is expected to increase its iPad share from 35% to 39% and its iPhone share from 23% to 25%, while Mac shipments could rise by 23% despite higher component costs. Analysts attribute Apple’s resilience to strong demand for its devices and the introduction of the MacBook Neo, which offers a high performance‑to‑price ratio.

At the same time, the broader semiconductor market is feeling pressure from a surge in demand for high‑bandwidth memory (HBM) driven by artificial‑intelligence workloads. AI models require fast, large‑capacity memory for training and inference, prompting data‑center operators and cloud providers to seek more advanced chips. The limited supply of such memory has pushed prices higher, affecting manufacturers of servers, cloud services and other technology firms. The tightening supply and rising costs could be passed on to end‑users, highlighting the strategic importance of memory components in the AI era.