IDC: Dell Reclaims U.S. PC Crown Amid Shrinking Market, Fierce Competition

PC Market Continues To Shrink

Dell and Lenovo could be considered the first quarter's winners in the PC market, while HP Inc. faltered, according to a recent report on PC shipments from research firm IDC.

IDC's numbers show a PC market that is contracting dramatically. Overall PC shipments in the U.S. declined nearly 6 percent year over year in the first quarter and fell 11.5 percent worldwide, cementing an ongoing trend that favors mobile devices.

Consumer PC sales were hurt during the quarter by Microsoft's offering of free upgrades to its new Windows 10 operating system. Likewise, enterprise customers are still testing Windows 10 and are expected to begin adopting the system in full later this year.

Click through for details about first-quarter PC shipments.

Dell Reclaims Top Spot After Six Years

HP has been the top U.S. PC vendor in the U.S. for more than six years, but that streak ended at the hands of Dell in the first quarter. Round Rock, Texas-based Dell shipped nearly 3.5 million PCs in the U.S. during the period, good for market share of almost 26 percent.

HP U.S. PC Sales Falter

HP, Palo Alto, Calif., shipped 3.4 million PC units during the first quarter, a decline of more than 14 percent year over year. The result was market share just more than 25 percent. This is the first time HP has come in second to Dell in U.S. PC shipments since the third quarter of 2009, according to IDC.

Lenovo Makes Double-Digit Gains In U.S. Market

It's not just Dell HP has to worry about. Lenovo, the Chinese PC powerhouse with U.S. headquarters in North Carolina, shipped 1.9 million units in the U.S. during first quarter, a 21 percent year-over-year increase that gave the company 14 percent market share.

Apple Boosts U.S. Shipments

Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple also made gains during the quarter, boosting U.S. shipments nearly 6 percent to about 1.8 million units and claiming 13 percent market share.

Lenovo Maintains Spot As Worldwide No. 1

Lenovo's growth in the U.S. helped it maintain its position atop the worldwide PC market. The company finished the first quarter with 20 percent market share worldwide, followed by HP with 19 percent market share, Dell with nearly 15 percent market share; Apple with 7.4 percent share and Asus, with 7 percent share, according to IDC.