Worldwide computer shipments reached 82.9 million in the second quarter of 2010, a 20.7 per cent increase compared to the year-ago period, according IT research and advisory firm Gartner Inc.

These results are slightly above Gartner's earlier projection. It had expected second quarter personal computer (PC) shipments to grow 19.3 per cent, it said in a statement.

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"End-user spending grew approximately 13 per cent in the second quarter. Average selling prices continue to decline but at a much slower rate compared with the last two years," she said.

However, in the second quarter, mini-notebook shipment growth slowed significantly but still above the growth rates of the overall mobile PC market. This category slowed to a low 20 per cent range as against the 70 plus per cent growth in the past two quarters. This indicates that mini-notebooks are entering a mature growth stage.

HP maintained its worldwide lead in PC shipments, but its growth rate was below the industry average as it tried to protect margins in key regions. For example, HP did not participate in the aggressive pricing that was seen in Asia/Pacific. It also underperformed in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) with weak professional mobile growth.

Acer continued to record strong shipment growth worldwide, fueled by solid PC sales in the EMEA markets and Asia/Pacific.

Dell registered its second consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. Uptake in the professional PC market secured Dell's PC business, but the consumer market was still a challenge for the company.

Lenovo's sales increased 47.2 per cent in the second quarter, but there were some concerns over profitability as Lenovo was aggressive on pricing in key regions.

In Asia/Pacific, shipments surpassed 27.8 million units, up 25.4 per cent from the second quarter of 2009. Markets in the region saw a slow start in the quarter due to the European debt crisis. However, the impact was limited, and market sentiment improved, releasing pent-up demand for PCs from late May onward.

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