PC Shipments Jump

Shipments of computers worldwide showed a surprising large gain in the second quarter, rising to nearly 72 million. That’s according to statistics released this week by the research firm Gartner, Inc., as cited by the Associated Press.

The firm also found that HP has maintained the top spot in worldwide market share, although Dell has the lead in the U.S.

Gartner found that sales worldwide, driven by lower prices in the U.S. and Europe, had risen 16 percent from the same period a year ago, higher than its predicted gain of 11.2 percent. Another firm, IDC, found a 15.3 percent rise to 70.6 million units, just under Gartner’s figure of 71.9 million.