Gartner says: worldwide PC shipments increased 2.3 per cent in Q2 2011

Worldwide PC shipments jumped 85.2 million units in the second quarter of 2011, a 2.3 percent increase from the same period last year, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. These results are below Gartner's earlier projection for 6.7 percent growth.

HP continued to be the worldwide leader, as it accounted for 17.5% of worldwide PC shipments in the second quarter of 2011. The company performed better than average in most regions, but it was pulled down by its performance in Asia/Pacific. Dell moved into second place in the worldwide PC market for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2008. Dell did well in Asia/Pacific, where it has invested heavily lately. Professional PC refreshments definitely boosted Dell's growth. Lenovo experienced the strongest growth among the top-tier vendors, as shipments increased 22.5 percent. Lenovo achieved strong growth in Asia/Pacific, the U.S. and Latin America with both desktop and mobile PCs. Acer dropped from No. 2 to the No. 4 position in the worldwide PC market in the second quarter of 2011. It had a great deal of inventory in the distribution channel in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. 

In the U.S., PC shipments totaled 16.9 million units in the second quarter of 2011, a 5.6% decline from the second quarter of 2010. The major inhibitor was clearly a weak consumer PC market.

Based on preliminary results, Apple showed the strongest growth among the top-tier vendors in the U.S., as it climbed from fifth place to third, overtaking Acer and Toshiba. The preliminary findings show Apple's performance far exceed the industry average, partly driven by iMac refreshment that attracted both consumers and buyers in the education sector.

PC shipments in EMEA totaled 23 million units in the second quarter of 2011, a 4.8 percent decline from the second quarter of 2010. In Asia/Pacific, PC shipments reached 30.5 million units in the second quarter of 2011, a 9.6 percent increase from the same period last year. 

India showed weaker-than-expected consumer demand, while China's PC market grew 10.9 percent year over year. China's growth was attributed to the release of pent-up demand for consumer PCs.

The PC market in Latin America grew 15 percent in the second quarter of 2011, as shipments totaled 9.2 million units. Concerns over Brazil's overheating economy are abating with news that the country's gross domestic product (GDP) for the first quarter of 2011 grew by 1.3 percent. 

PC shipments in Japan grew 5.5 percent in the second quarter of 2011, with shipments reaching 3.9 million units.