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Just when it appeared that the smartphone would kill the computer forever, PC sales have picked up the most in the last six year. According to research firm IDC, the growth rate in the second quarter of this year was the best since the first quarter of 2012. Among the top five PC makers in the world, HP led the market, followed by Lenovo, Dell, Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL), and Acer

According to IDC’s “Worldwide Quarterly Personal Computing Device Tracker,”

Preliminary results for the second quarter of 2018 (2Q18) showed shipments of traditional PCs (desktop, notebook, and workstation) totaled 62.3 million units, recording solid year-on-year growth of 2.7%.

Jay Chou, research manager of the IDC division said:

“Although traditional PCs may not be the default device for many usage scenarios, the market continues to show pockets of resiliency as PC usage experience evolves and improves. Even certain types of desktops are seeing growth amid this business-driven refresh cycle.”

During the period, HP shipped 14.9 million PCs. Lenovo shipped 13.8 million. Dell shipped 11.3 million. Apple shipped 4.3 million, and Acer shipped 4.2 million. The Lenovo numbers include shipment from a joint venture with Fujitsu

Methodology:

• Shipments include shipments to distribution channels or end users. OEM sales are counted under the company/brand under which they are sold.
• Traditional PCs include Desktops, Notebooks, and Workstations and do not include Tablets or x86 Servers. Detachable Tablets and Slate Tablets are part of the Personal Computing Device Tracker but are not addressed in this press release.