Sluggish Growth in 3Q PC Shipment

While PC shipment grew slightly in the third quarter, the increase was below expectations, according to recently published market research from Gartner, Inc. ( IT - Snapshot Report ) .

Gartner estimates that shipments climbed 3.20%, below the 5.1% growth for the quarter. Moreover, the industry shipped 91.8 million units in the period, compared with almost 89 million last year.

Hewlett-Packard ( HPQ - Analyst Report ) , which is considering whether to spin off its PC business, accounted for 17.7% of the global market to retain the position of the world’s no. 1 PC seller.

China-based Lenovo Group overtook Dell, Inc. ( DELL - Analyst Report ) and claimed the No. 2 spot for the first time. Lenovo Group Ltd. gained from the joint venture with NEC Corp., as well as its own aggressive marketing.

Dell Inc. was third, with 11.6% of the total shipments.

As per the research data published by Gartner, Hewlett-Packardwas the largest in the U.S., accounting for 28.9% of the market, with Dell coming in second with a 21.9% share. Apple, Inc. ( AAPL - Analyst Report ) , based in Cupertino, California, was the third- largest seller, accounting for 12.9% of the market, up from 10.8% during the same period last year.

PC sales have been dampened by the reduction in demand for rival technologies such as tablets and smartphones, which has pulled down growth in the U.S. and Europe.