Worldwide PC shipments reached 79.4 million units in the third quarter of 2014, a 0.5% decline from the third quarter of last year, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc.
 
''Growth in the mature markets was offset by a decline in shipments in emerging markets, similar to what was seen in the second quarter of 2014,'' said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner. ''Positive results in Western Europe and North America can be a sign of gradual recovery for the PC industry.
 
''Consumers' attention is slowly going back to PC purchases as tablet adoption peaked with mainstream consumers. The transition from PCs to tablets has faded as tablet penetration has reached the 40-50 percent range.” In contrast, weakness in the emerging market reflects the saturation in selected consumer segments where they can afford PCs. In the meantime, consumers who don't have PCs will likely buy low priced tablet. This is a one of the major reasons for the slow growth in PC shipments in the emerging market.''
 
For the first time, the sum of the top five vendors' share reached two-thirds of the worldwide PC shipments. All top 5 vendors showed stronger growth compared to the industry average. Scale is one important success criteria for vendors to survive in the PC market. Some vendors have already scaled back or have withdrawn from the PC business-namely, Sony and Samsung -and Toshiba joined them in 3Q14.

Lenovo extended its position as the worldwide leader in PC shipments, as it accounted for 19.8% of the market in the third quarter of 2014. Lenovo did especially well in EMEA as it achieved more than 40 percent growth over the third quarter last year. It also had year-over-year growth in Asia/Pacific, despite the region showing a decline overall.
 
While its overall growth rate slightly declined in PC shipments, HP was able to post single-digit growth to maintain the No. 2 position worldwide. HP was the No. 1 vendor in EMEA and the U.S. While HP announced its intention to split the company into two companies, the impact to the PC business operation should not be significant. Dell had another strong quarter, and the results indicate that Dell's commitment and investment into the PC market has been consistent since it went private.
 
In the U.S. market, PC shipments totaled 16.6 million units in the third quarter of 2014, a 4.2% increase from the same period last year. This was the third quarter in a row with positive shipment growth.
 
''Consumers' wallets were gradually coming back to PCs, although back to school sales season was not exceptional,'' Kitagawa said. ''More availability of affordable touch-based laptops, price drops of thin and light laptops, and 2 in 1 hybrid laptops will attract consumers this holiday season.''
 
HP maintained the No. 1 position in the U.S. market accounting for 27.8% of PC shipments in the third quarter of 2014. Dell increased its share to 24.1%, followed by Apple with an estimated 14.3% share of PC shipments in the U.S.

PC shipments in EMEA totaled 24 million units in the third quarter of 2014, a 9.6% increase from the same period last year. After two years of declining quarterly market share, the EMEA PC market has recorded growth every quarter since the start of 2014.
 
''The continued growth in the EMEA PC market reflects the end of official support for Windows XP and the need to replace older PCs,'' said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. ''Consumer demand has also improved. We’ve witnessed lower notebook prices and promotional offers on two-in-one hybrid devices attracting buyers back. Many tablet early-adopters are considering a hybrid two-in-one product as a viable alternative to a replacement tablet.''