Lenovo is no longer the undisputed PC leader

Lenovo is no longer the undisputed leader in the worldwide PC market.

Now it’s disputed.

Market research firm IDC reported Tuesday that Lenovo slipped to No. 2 behind HP in worldwide PC shipments in the first quarter. Meanwhile, rival market research firm Gartner, which also released its quarterly report Tuesday, still ranks Lenovo tops.

However, Gartner reported that the battle for No. 1 was close enough to declare “a virtual tie.”

Lenovo has been ranked No. 1 by both firms since the second quarter of 2013.

Lenovo is based in China but has a headquarters in Morrisville and employs more than 3,000 workers in the Triangle.

In IDC’s estimation, HP vaulted to the top of the heap by boosting its shipments by 13.1 percent in the first quarter versus a year ago, putting its market share at 21.8 percent compared to Lenovo’s 20.4 percent market share. Still, Lenovo’s market share did rise two-tenths of a percent from a year ago.

Overall, worldwide PC shipments rose a paltry six-tenths of a percent in the first quarter, IDC reported.

IDC also said Lenovo’s U.S. shipments fell 4.2 percent, its first decline in the U.S. market since the third quarter of 2009.

“Lenovo assumed the top spot in 2013 with a market share just under 17 percent and has grown every year with a healthy growth in profit,” the company said in a statement. “We see this trend continuing and are confident that across the full spectrum of smart devices we will continue to balance strong profitability and high market share in the months and years ahead.”

Gartner reported that Lenovo’s global shipments rose 1.2 percent, giving it a 19.9 percent market share, up from 19.2 percent a year ago. HP’s shipments rose 6.5 percent, pushing its market share to 19.5 percent.

Overall worldwide PC shipments fell 2.4 percent in the first quarter, and U.S. shipments also fell by 2.4 percent, Gartner said.

In the U.S., according to Gartner, Lenovo retained its No. 3 ranking in shipments behind HP and Dell, respectively, with a 14 percent market share. That’s not quite half of HP’s 29.1 percent market share.

Gartner reported that Lenovo’s U.S. shipments fell 3.6 percent, Dell’s declined 4.3 percent and HP’s rose 15.9 percent.

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 5:31 PM with the headline "Lenovo is no longer the undisputed PC leader."