Market research firms IDC and Gartner have released their second-quarter PC shipment numbers, and while numbers are down year-to-year once again, there are some positive signs por the industry. For one thing, the 4.5% to 5.2% drop in global shipments (depending on who you ask) was not as drastic as analysts were expecting, and in particular the U.S. actually saw PC shipments rise to 15.2 million units after five straight quarters of declines.
IDC reports that shipments have increased by 4.9% in the U.S, while Gartner's numbers are more conservative at 1.4%. Gartner does not count Chromebooks as part of its analysis, however, and this is one of the areas of growth that IDC highlights with a spike in purchases from schools, governments and other public outfits.
Among the top six vendors PC vendors, Lenovo and Apple were the only ones with year-over-year declines in shipments, while HP, Dell, Asus and Acer all recorded growth. Lenovo held onto its leading position worldwide despite a 2.2% year-over-year decline, but HP is closing in with a 1.8% gain and 19.1% market share according to Gartner.
Source: IDC
Apple fared the worst with a 4.9% decline in shipments and slipping to the fifth position behind Asus, after occupying the fourth spot for several quarters.
Looking ahead Microsoft is planning to release its Anniversary Update to Windows 10 on August 2, just in time for the back to school season when we're likely to see some hardware deals to attract buyers. Both IDC and Gartner expect a slight recovery in PC shipments and a faster commercial transition of Windows 10 in the second half of the year.