Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) and Acer Inc (宏碁) PC shipments increased in the second quarter from a year earlier, although global PC shipments fell 5.2 percent year-on-year over the same period, according to Gartner Inc.
In a research report released on Monday, Gartner said Asustek shipped about 4.7 million PCs in the April-to-June period, up 1.3 percent from a year earlier, to take a 7.3 percent share of the global market.
Asustek replaced Apple Inc as the fourth-largest PC supplier in the world, as the US consumer electronics giant’s shipments fell 4.9 percent from a year earlier to 4.56 million units, Gartner said.
After defying industry trends in recent years, Apple is feeling the slowdown in global purchases of laptop and desktop computers.
Gartner estimated Apple shipped 4.56 million Macs in the quarter ending June 30, with 7.1 percent share of the market.
Overall, global PC makers shipped 64.3 million machines in the period, down from 67.9 million a year earlier, the researcher said.
The 5.2 percent decline from a year earlier last quarter followed a decline of about 11 percent in the previous quarter and was down for the seventh consecutive quarter, Gartner said.
Analysts at International Data Corp estimated global PC shipments fell 4.5 percent year-on-year to 62.4 million last quarter.
“One of the ongoing problems in the PC market has been the price hike in selected regions due to the weakening local currency against the US dollar,” Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa said in a statement.
“However, PC shipment declines became rather modest in the second quarter compared with previous quarters, which suggests a fading currency impact,” Kitagawa said.
One major factor that is not clear is how the vote in the UK to exit the EU last month would impact sales, she added.
It could weaken demand as products become more expensive locally and the economy as a whole suffers.
Lenovo Group Ltd (聯想) kept its perch atop the industry with 20.5 percent of the market in the second quarter, up from 19.9 percent a year earlier, Gartner said.
The Chinese company shipped 13.2 million PCs, down 2.2 percent from a year earlier.
US-based HP Inc was second with shipments of 12.28 million units, up 1.8 percent year-on-year, and a 19.1 percent market share.
In third place was Dell Inc, which shipped 9.79 million units, up 3.1 percent from a year earlier, and held a 15.2 percent share.
Acer secured the sixth place by shipping 4.42 million PCs in the period, up 0.4 percent from a year earlier with a 6.9 percent market share, Gartner said.
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