PC shipments fell 3 percent in 2nd quarter; Dell snatches back top spot in US from HP

PC shipments down 3 pct., less than expected in 2Q

SEATTLE — Worldwide personal computer shipments declined at a gentler pace than expected in the second quarter as consumers snapped up inexpensive laptops, two technology research groups said Wednesday.

Still, the figures point to 2009 being the industry’s first full year in decline since 2001. And while those low prices have kept people shopping, the PC makers will pay the price in depressed earnings.

IDC, a research group based in Framingham, Mass., said global PC shipments fell 3 percent in the second quarter, not the 6 percent its analysts had predicted.

A second group, Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc., estimated shipments sank 5 percent, better than the nearly 10 percent decline expected.

IDC and Gartner results differ because the groups use different methods to track the industry.

Analysts were conservative in their interpretations of the results Wednesday. Mikako Kitagawa of Gartner called the numbers “a small sign of a PC market recovery in terms of shipment volumes in some regions.” Shipments in the U.S. and Asia beat expectations, but Europe, the Middle East and Africa remained weak, she said.

Despite strong results from chipmaker Intel Corp. this week, the researchers said they don’t expect the PC industry to dramatically turn around this year. Kitagawa said strong shipments to the U.S. and Asia could lead to minute growth for 2009. IDC currently expects shipments to fall 3 percent for the full year, but said the forecast could improve.

Hewlett-Packard Co. remained the world’s largest PC maker with about 20 percent market share, according to both groups. Dell Inc. was still No. 2, with almost 14 percent market share, but only barely held onto its lead over Acer Inc. HP and Acer shipped more computers than in last year’s quarter, while Dell’s shipments dropped 17 percent.

China’s Lenovo and Japan’s Toshiba were the fourth and fifth-largest computer makers worldwide.

In the U.S., which accounts for about 23 percent of the world’s PC business, Dell regained the top spot after falling behind HP in the first quarter, even though its domestic shipments declined nearly 19 percent from 2008.

Dell’s shipments have fallen for several quarters as the recession has made U.S. businesses — key customers for Dell — more frugal about technology purchases.

HP was a close No. 2 in the U.S., followed by Acer.

The two research groups’ estimates don’t match up for Apple Inc. and Toshiba, the fourth and fifth-largest in the U.S.

Gartner said Apple’s shipments edged up in the quarter, beating out Toshiba. IDC estimated a decline in Apple shipments and ranked it below Toshiba.

“People are focused on $600, $700 notebooks,” IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell. “Guess what Apple doesn’t have: any notebook below $999.”

Aggressive price cuts led to market share gains among U.S. consumers, according to Gartner, but that’s not great news for the PC makers. Dell and HP both said last quarter that lower prices and the popularity of cheap netbooks ate into profits; on Monday, Dell said it expects margins to be slimmer in the second quarter than in the first, due in part to sales of netbooks and low-end laptops.