HP, Dell, Apple Post PC Market Gains

Top-tier US PC brands experienced a strong fourth quarter in 2007, with Hewlett-Packard (HP) holding its lead in the worldwide marketplace, the research company iSuppli reported. Dell showed signs of resurgence and Apple continued to bolster market share, posting a Q4 growth of 39.3 percent compared to last year.

HP continued to show strong growth. The company's global PC shipments in Q4 rose to 14.6 million units, up 25.5 percent from 11.6 million during the same period in 2006.

Matthew Wilkins, principal analyst for El Segundo, Calif.- based iSuppli, acknowledged HP's six-quarter dominance in worldwide PC shipments. "Hewlett-Packard went from strength to strength," he said in a statement. "[They] capitalized on its strong channel presence and its strength in the fast-growing notebook PC segment, allowing it to attain and maintain market leadership."

Wilkins said Apple's growth was linked to the company's powerful performance in its PCs, saying the company's "reinvigorated" Intel microprocessor-based products are striking a chord with PC buyers. Wilkins said Dell, which was bumped from the pole position in mid-2006 by HP, is showing signs of recovery. Dell saw fourth quarter shipments rise 17.4 percent, to 11.3 million units, over Q4 last year.

"The upswing in year-over growth compared to the prior quarter and the strong sequential rise in shipments come as encouraging signs of recovery for Dell," Wilkins noted.

Acer's acquisition of Gateway appeared beneficial, with the company shipping 7.2 million PCs in the fourth quarter, representing year-on-year growth of 25 percent, when incorporating shipments from Gateway. "It was an eventful 2007 for the global PC market," Wilkins said.