Personal computer shipments fell year-over-year for the first time since 1986 as Dell Computer's market share surged at the expense of other PC makers, quarterly surveys showed.
Data from market researchers Gartner Dataquest and International Data Corp (IDC) to be released today found the market for desktop, notebook and PC servers fell 2 percentage points to around 30 million units shipped during the second quarter.
Dell, which became the world's leading PC maker during the first quarter after displacing Compaq, was the only top-tier vendor to grow worldwide and in the United States in the latest quarter.
Dell shipments rose particularly in Japan, Asia/Pacific and Latin America, with 30 per cent to 50 per cent growth there, according to preliminary Dataquest data. Dell's growth rate was 20.2 per cent for the quarter ended in June.
Compaq saw second-quarter shipments drop 14.4 per cent, and International Business Machines, Hewlett-Packard and NEC, the third- to fifth-ranked PC makers, respectively, each fell by single digits.
The second quarter was the first time the worldwide PC market has had a negative growth rate since 1986, according to Dataquest.
Shipments to Asia fell far more sharply than previously forecast, and Europe shipments also lagged. The US market, while the hardest hit, fell in line with previously lowered expectations, according to IDC.
Dataquest said that although Europe is overdue for one of its periodic upgrade cycles, which happen about every three years, the region looks set to decline in growth, joining the US market, which has fallen back two quarters running.