IDC: Dell back on top of worldwide PC shipments

HP is overtaken

HP is overtaken

Dell Computer capitalized on a shift in buying from consumers to commercial customers in the first quarter, retaking the lead in worldwide PC shipments from Hewlett-Packard (HP), according to research released Thursday by IDC.

Dell shipped about 6 million units in the first quarter of 2003, up 24.7 percent from 4.8 million units in the first quarter of last year. HP shipped 5.5 million units, down 5.7 percent from the combined 5.8 million units shipped by HP and the former Compaq  in the first quarter last year.

Overall, worldwide shipments increased 2.1 percent from last year's first quarter to 34.6 million units, the third straight quarter of growth, said Roger Kay, director of client computing with IDC, based in Framingham, Massachusetts. "That's a bit encouraging, but it's still sluggish growth," he said.

Dell's direct model helped it return to the top spot it last held in the third quarter of 2002, but the main reason for the switch can be chalked up to the buying patterns of consumers versus corporations, Kay said.

Dell captured 17.3 percent of the worldwide market, while HP trailed with 15.8 percent in this year's first quarter. The study measured sales of desktops and notebooks, as well as servers based on the standard Intel architecture priced under $25,000.