Worldwide PC unit shipments worldwide grew strongly in the first quarter, research companies Gartner and IDC reported Wednesday.Shipments in the quarter increased 13.1 percent from a year earlier, driven by growth in emerging markets and among consumers in more mature markets, Gartner said. IDC reported worldwide growth of 12.9 percent, surpassing the Framingham, Mass., company’s forecast in March of an 11.8 percent gain.Unit shipments of desktop and portable PCs and x86 servers totaled 57.1 million worldwide in the quarter, up from 50.5 million in the first quarter of 2005, according to preliminary numbers from Gartner, in Stamford, Conn. IDC counted 53.2 million shipments worldwide, up from 47.1 million in last year’s first quarter.Dell retained its status as the top volume vendor but posted unit growth of just 10.2 percent, its weakest performance since the third quarter of 2001, Gartner said. Hewlett-Packard, its closest rival, narrowed the gap as its shipments grew 22.5 percent. Dell had a market share of 16.5 percent to HP’s 14.9 percent. Lenovo Group was third in worldwide sales, Acer fourth and Fujitsu fifth, according to the company. Dell’s shipments in the quarter were almost flat in the United States, as overall shipments in the country grew 7.4 percent, Gartner reported. It was the first time Dell had posted a growth rate below the U.S. market average, according to Gartner. The consumer market was Dell’s weak point, it said. IDC reported U.S. growth of 5.3 percent year over year, below an earlier forecast of 6.7 percent.The biggest growth in the quarter was in the Asia-Pacific region, where shipments were up 24.6 percent, and Latin America, which posted 22.9 percent growth, according to Gartner. Europe, the Middle East and Africa was the largest market, with shipments of about 19.1 million, and shipments there grew 12.6 percent. Some vendors had projected a stronger quarter in the region, according to Gartner. In the United States, consumer demand for desktop PCs was a major growth driver, as total shipments hit 16.4 million. Renewed price competition boosted desktop demand.-Stephen Lawson, IDG News ServiceCheck out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content brandpost Sponsored by Freshworks When your AI chatbots mess up AI ‘hallucinations’ present significant business risks, but new types of guardrails can keep them from doing serious damage By Paul Gillin Dec 08, 2023 4 mins Generative AI brandpost Sponsored by Dell New research: How IT leaders drive business benefits by accelerating device refresh strategies Security leaders have particular concerns that older devices are more vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks. By Laura McEwan Dec 08, 2023 3 mins Infrastructure Management case study Toyota transforms IT service desk with gen AI To help promote insourcing and quality control, Toyota Motor North America is leveraging generative AI for HR and IT service desk requests. By Thor Olavsrud Dec 08, 2023 7 mins Employee Experience Generative AI ICT Partners feature CSM certification: Costs, requirements, and all you need to know The Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) certification sets the standard for establishing Scrum theory, developing practical applications and rules, and leading teams and stakeholders through the development process. By Moira Alexander Dec 08, 2023 8 mins Certifications IT Skills Project Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe