Dell, the world's largest computer maker, actually gained market share on rival Hewlett-Packard (HP) in the most recent quarter, according to both Gartner and IDC. Shipments of Dell PCs rose over 20 percent, year-over-year, in the most current quarter. The company now owns 18.2 percent of the global PC market, up from 16.9 percent in the same quarter a year ago.
"Dell completely blew its competitors away again," IDC analyst Roger Kay said. HP retained the number two spot, with 16.2 percent of the market, down from 16.6 percent a year earlier. IBM was number three, followed by Fujitsu and then Toshiba.
While Gartner and IDC use slightly different methods for obtaining their market share figures, the firms reported that PC shipments totaled about 45-46 million units worldwide in the quarter, exceeding expectations. That jump--up almost 10 percent from an unexpectedly solid quarter a year previously--points to positive growth for 2004, and a healthy holiday seasons, the firms say.
