The drop in global PC sales was worse than expected in the first quarter, according to estimates from IDC. The market researcher puts worldwide PC shipments at 76.3 million units in the three months to March, down 13.9 percent from a year earlier, versus IDC's forecast of a 7.7 percent drop.
This was the worst quarter since IDC began tracking the market in 1994. It's also the fourth consecutive quarter of year-on-year shipment declines. The PC market continues to suffer from stronger demand for smartphones and tablets, as well as a poor reception for Windows 8 and the more expensive ultrabooks.
HP remained the top vendor in the quarter with a 15.7 percent share, despite its shipments tumbling 23.7 percent to just under 12 million. Lenovo's shipments did relatively better, coming in flat year-on-year at 11.7 million; its market share expanded to 15.3 percent from 13.2 percent a year ago. Dell also improved its share slightly, to 11.8 percent, as its shipments fell 10.9 percent to just over 9 million.
Acer's sales plunged 31 percent to slightly more than 6 million, leaving it with 8.1 percent of the market, and Asus posted a 19 percent fall to 4.4 million, good for 5.7 percent of the market.
