PC shipping at fastest rate in two years

Computer shipments rose this summer at the fastest rate in nearly two years, and Hewlett-Packard Co. pulled still farther ahead of Dell Inc. as the world's largest maker of PCs, two technology research firms reported Wednesday.

Sales of portable computers drove much of the 15.5 per cent increase in globalpersonal computershipments from July through September, especially in Europe, according to research firm IDC, based in Framingham, Mass. Gartner Inc. in Stamford, Conn., pegged the growth at 14.4 per cent.

The reports raised expectations for another strong performance in the year's final months.

"The appeal of portable PCs in all regions continues to propel the PC market at a remarkable pace and sets the stage for a very strong fourth quarter," said Loren Loverde, director of IDC's worldwide quarterly PC tracker.

IDC reported 66.9 million PCs shipped, up from 57.9 million a year ago, while Gartner said 68.5 million PCs were shipped in the third quarter, up from 59.8 million in the same period a year ago. The two research firms use slightly different measurement methods.

Both saw most of the growth rate increase in shipments outside the U.S.

The percentage gains both firms reported were the largest for any quarter since the fourth quarter of 2005, when IDC recorded a 15.5 per cent increase and Gartner came, 15.8 per cent.

Based on the latest quarter's performance, IDC likely will slightly increase a fourth-quarter forecast from the 13.5 per cent growth rate it offered early last month, Loverde said.

Mobile PCs lead way

Gartner said gains for mobile PCs once again outpaced overall computer shipments in the U.S. But both the home and professional markets in the U.S. posted weaker-than-expected growth apparently because of lower consumer confidence and the housing market slump, Gartner said.

U.S. PC shipment growth was 4.7 per cent in the latest quarter, according to Gartner, compared with 23 per cent in the Asia-Pacific region and 16 per cent in a market that includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The softness in the U.S. leads Charles Smulders, a Gartner vice-president, to take a bit more cautious view of the fourth-quarter global outlook than IDC does.

Smulders said the third-quarter numbers bode for a strong fourth quarter, but Gartner is sticking for now with a forecast issued last month that predicts 12.3 per cent global PC shipment growth for the year overall.

"There still seems to be some uncertainty about how the fourth quarter will pan out," Smulders said. "Some of the U.S. consumer confidence figures only add to the uncertainty."

HP still top PC maker

Hewlett-Packard moved ahead of Dell late last year as the world's largest PC maker, and it gained further ground in this year's third quarter. Even in the U.S., where Dell remained the largest maker of PCs, the number of units Dell sold declined aroundfive per cent.

IDC put HP's worldwide market share at 19.6 per cent, while Gartner had it at 18.8 per cent. Both firms said HP gained more thantwo percentage points of market share compared with a year ago and posted 33 per cent growth in PC shipments.

Dell's global share stood at 15.2 per cent, according to IDC, and 14.4 per cent by Gartner's count. Both firms said Dell lost more than a percentage point of share from a year ago, even with shipment growth of nearlyfour per cent.

Under IDC's measure, China's Lenovo Group Ltd. beat Taiwan-based Acer Inc. for third place in worldwide shipments, with an 8.2 per cent share for Lenovo and 8.1 per cent for Acer. Gartner gave Acer a slight lead, at 8.1 per cent to Lenovo'seight per cent.

Both firms ranked Japan-based Toshiba Corp. fifth, with a 4.4 per cent share.