Lenovo Replaces HP as PC Market Leader

It’s not official yet but reports indicate that Chinese PC manufacturer Lenovo has replaced HP at the top of the PC market. According to research firm Gartner, Lenovo has outsold HP in the third quarter of this year which has contributed to its ascent to the top. The two makers have been head to head as far as the sales are concerned, with the difference in shipping being little more than 0.1 million. During the period in consideration, Lenovo shipped 13.7 million units to HP’s 13.6 million.

Hewlett-Packard (HP) has been the undisputed market leader as far as PCs are concerned. They have held the top position for the past six years, which goes to show how significant Lenovo’s achievement actually is. To counter Lenovo’s claim to the apex, HP issued a report of its own. Conducted by IDC Worldwide, the report puts HP as the number one PC seller in the world. The conflicting reports provided by the two makers suggest this war is going to go all the way.

At the same time last year, HP held over 18% of the market share of PCs. Their share has since fallen to below 16%, with IDC considering it to be 15.9% while Gartner put it at 15.5%. On the other hand, Lenovo has improved significantly, moving up from 14% to 15.7%. The fact that both reports put Lenovo’s market share at 15.7% goes to show that the figure is most likely accurate.

So, it could be some time before a final verdict can be passed on which of the two firms is going to be called the market leader for personal computers. However, the overall state of the market is not too bright with PC sales declining rapidly. With competition from tablets, the PCs market is under fire and unlikely to put up for too long with the competition. For now, Lenovo and HP can continue with their squabble and see which one comes out on top.

[Image via computechcochin and homeasnika ]