PC shipments slow, but leadership positions shaking up

Laptop and desktop computer sales increased in the third quarter of 2011, according to reports from research firms IDC and Gartner, but both indicate that the pace of growth has slowed in recent years.

IDC estimates that PC shipments reached 91.9 million for the quarter, a year-over-year increase of 3.6 percent and a 2.7 percent growth from the previous quarter. The majority of this growth came from Asian markets, which offset the stagnation in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and the US markets.

Gartner shows slightly less growth, reporting that PC shipments topped off at 91.8 million, a 3.2 percent increase over the previous year.

Both firms report that computer maker Lenovo®, for the first time, took the No. 2 spot in the PC market, overtaking Dell®. IDC states that Lenovo grew 36.1 percent year-over-year, shipping 12.6 million PCs during the quarter.

Much of the slow activity in the PC market is attributable to the unprecedented growth of the tablet computer market. Tablet shipments, Gartner forecasts in an earlier report, will hit nearly 70 million in 2011. As more people buy these newer mobile devices, many are putting their PC purchases on hold.