The global market for personal computers is still weak, after two years of declining sales, although researchers cited some positive signs in a pair of sales reports.
The IDC research firm says total PC shipments were down 2.4 per cent in the fourth quarter of last year - though not as bad as the 4.8 per cent drop the company predicted. IDC also says shipments for the year fell 2.1 per cent.
But researchers at another firm, Gartner, estimate PC shipments rose 1 per cent in the last quarter, while shipments for the year are down less than 1 per cent. Each firm uses different methods of estimating computer shipments by manufacturers around the world.
Both firms say it appears the long-running slump in computer sales began to level off last year.
Sales actually improved for several of the world's biggest computer-makers, including Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard and Dell, which gained market share from smaller manufacturers in the last quarter.
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Lenovo remains the world's leading PC seller, but HP showed sizable gains - especially in the US. Apple also increased its overall sales, although it's not a leading seller outside the United States and Western markets.
Consumers have been buying fewer PCs in recent years because they're increasingly interested in alternatives such as smartphones and tablets. But the steep decline in PC sales over recent years may be levelling off, as computer-makers introduce new models that are both lightweight and low-cost, while still capable of performing more functions than tablets.
Tablet sales are also slumping, analysts say, as the market has become saturated and some consumers find them less useful than PCs.
