Lenovo, Dell Biggest Gainers In U.S. PC Market For Q2

PC Growth Returns

Conditions are improving in the PC market, according to research firm Gartner. For the first time since 2012, worldwide PC shipments generated quarterly growth with a 1.4 percent increase during the second quarter from a year earlier, Gartner reported. In the U.S. market, PCs also returned to growth -- of 1.7 percent -- following six quarters of declines in shipments. The growth was driven by strong sales in the government and education markets, while vendors including Lenovo and Dell put up the strongest growth numbers, according to Gartner.

What follows are the details on how the top five U.S. PC makers fared during the second quarter of 2018.

HP Regains No. 1 Position From Dell

While Dell had snatched the top spot in the U.S. PC market during the first quarter of the year, according to Gartner, the ascendancy was short-lived. Gartner reports that HP Inc. grabbed the No. 1 position back during the second quarter, with HP accounting for 29.3 percent of unit sales. However, that represented a slight erosion of HP's share in the U.S. PC market from a year earlier, when the company had market share of 29.9 percent. In addition, HP's unit sales were down during the second quarter -- and while the drop was only by 0.6 percent, the company was the only one of the top five U.S. PC manufacturers to see a unit sales decrease in the quarter.

Dell Sees Strong Growth In Sales

While Dell was unable to hang onto the No. 1 spot in the U.S. PC market during the second quarter, there were signs of the company's continued momentum in the market . Dell captured 28.6 percent share of the market during the second quarter, up from 27.1 percent a year ago, for a second-place finish during the quarter, according to Gartner. And, Dell's unit sales also rose steadily during the second quarter, by 7.2 percent on a year-over-year basis.

Lenovo Returns To Sales Growth, Gains Market Share

After a number of quarters of falling sales in the U.S. PC market, Lenovo enjoyed a strong second quarter and outgrew Dell and HP with a jump in unit sales of 8.2 percent year over year, according to Gartner. That delivered Lenovo an increase in market share in the U.S. PC market to 14.9 percent, compared with14 percent a year earlier, landing the company in the No. 3 spot in the market.

The results followed new measures rolled out by Lenovo in recent months following a changeover in leadership, with the intent of spurring growth in the North American PC market. Matt Zielinski, Lenovo's North America president for its PC and smart devices division, had told CRN in May that the company is targeting the addition of between one-quarter and one-half of a percentage point of market share per quarter for the foreseeable future.

Apple Treads Water During Q2

Apple generated modest growth in the U.S. PC market during the second quarter of the year, with an increase of 1.7 percent in unit sales. The company's market share turned out flat year over year at 12.7 percent, even as Lenovo widened its lead ahead of Apple during the second quarter. That's a reversal from last year, when Apple rose to the No. 3 spot in the U.S. PC market ahead of Lenovo during the third and fourth quarters of 2017, according to Gartner.

Acer Shows Positive Signs

While Acer trails the other four top U.S. PC makers by a considerable margin, the company did gain a respectable amount of ground during the second quarter of the year, according to Gartner. Acer managed to widen its market share during the quarter, to 3.3 percent, up from 2.7 percent during the same period the year before. Acer also saw its unit sales increase by 25.7 percent in the second quarter, although it should be noted that the company was beginning from a much smaller starting point during the year-ago quarter than the other PC manufacturers.