PC shipments decline, Lenovo tops market share

According to a technology market research firm, global first-quarter personal computer (PC) shipments declined, although corporate demand helped slow the pace of the drop.

Gartner Inc. said global first-quarter personal computer unit sales fell 1.7% from a year earlier to 76.6 million units. International Data Corp. (IDC) said global quarterly shipments declined 4.4% to 73.4 million units.

The personal computer market is heading toward a third consecutive year of contraction, a setback for technology companies such as Intel Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. that rely on PC sales. Gartner said the first-quarter bright spot was a rise in corporate desktop orders ahead of Microsoft Corp.'s end of support for the Windows XP operating system.

Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa said: "The PC market remains weak, but compared with last year signs of improvement have already emerged." Gartner said in January that fourth-quarter PC shipments last year fell 6.9%, while the full year of 2013 declined 10%.

Gartner said U.S. shipments reached 14.1 million units, up 2.1% from a year earlier. Asia-Pacific shipments reached 24.9 million units, down 11% from a year earlier. IDC said U.S. shipments fell 0.6% to 14.3 million units.

IDC said Lenovo Group's first-quarter global market share climbed to 17.7%, ranking first. Hewlett-Packard followed in second place with 17.1%. Dell Inc. ranked third with a 13.4% market share. IDC said all three gained share in the first quarter, while Acer and Asustek Computer lost share, with Acer's shipments falling 20%.

IDC researcher Loren Loverde said in an interview: "We are seeing consolidation. The top three are doing well, but Acer and Asustek are struggling because of their focus on the consumer market."

IDC forecast last month that PC unit sales this year will decline 6.1% to 295.9 million units, down from 315.1 million units last year, a third consecutive year of contraction. IDC forecasts the PC market will continue to shrink through 2018.