JULY 18--Worldwide PC shipments delivered double-digit growth in the Q2-03, the first time since Q3-00, according to market research published by Gartner Inc. (Stamford, CT; www.gartner.com). Second-quarter shipments increased 10% from the same period last year to 32.8 million. Charles Smulders, vice president of Gartner's worldwide computing platforms group, said the PC industry performed better than expected, suggesting that market conditions are improving. He warned, however, that sustained improvement will depend on economic conditions and their effect on the business upgrade cycle.
Four of the five top-tier vendors worldwide achieved double-digit growth rates in the second quarter. Dell Computer Corp. was the No. 1 vendor with a 17.6% market share, shipping 5.8 million PCs in the second quarter compared to 4.6 million the year before. That represents a growth rate of 29.5%.
Next was Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP), with a 16.1% market share. In the second quarter, H-P shipped 5.3 million PCs compared to 4.7 million the year before, representing a growth rate of 12.1%.
In the U.S. market, Dell also led the pack with a second-quarter growth rate of 26.1%, shipping 3.7 million units. With a market share of 31.1%, the company nearly surpassed the combined 32.8% unit shipment share of HP, IBM, Gateway, and Apple Computer, the other vendors in the top five, according to Gartner.
The PC market in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa performed above expectations in the second quarter, with unit shipments up 13% over the same period from the year before. This growth was the strongest in the region since 1999.
In Europe, HP was the top vendor, with a 19.4% market share and 13.3% growth rate in the second quarter. HP shipped 1.7 million units in the second quarter compared to 1.9 million year last year.
Even though Dell, with a market share of 9.7%, remained a distant second to HP, the company showed a strong second-quarter performance with a growth rate of 31.2%.
PC shipments in the Asia-Pacific region fell below expectations, largely because of the effects of the severe acute respiratory syndrome on business activity in China, Gartner said. Data on unit shipments in the region were not immediately available.
