By Nathalie Tadena Global personal-computer shipments slipped 0.1% in the second quarter from a year earlier, according to industry researcher Gartner Inc.. In the second quarter of 2012, the PC market suffered through its seventh consecutive quarter of flat to single-digit growth," said Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa. "Uncertainties in the economy in various regions, as well as consumer's low interest in PC purchases, were some of the key influencers of slow PC shipment growth. Despite the high expectations for the thin and light notebook segment, Ultrabooks, shipment volume was small and little impact on overall shipment growth." Shipments totaled 87.5 million units in the second quarter. Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) again dominated the worldwide market with 14.9% market share, though shipments for the quarter fell 12% on the year. Lenovo Group Ltd. (LNVGY, 0992.HK) shipments increased 15% and significantly narrowed its market share gap with H-P, claiming a market share of 14.7% in the latest period. Acer Inc.'s (ASIYF, ACEIY, 2353.TW) shipments rose 3.6% in the latest quarter and the company captured an 11% market share. Dell Inc. (DELL) shipments fell 12% and had a market share of 10.7%. Shipments in the U.S. fell 5.7% amid weak consumer spending on PCs. H-P and Dell saw U.S. shipments slip 13% and 9.5%, respectively, while Apple Inc. (AAPL) shipments rose 4.3%. Shipments in Europe, the Middle East and Africa saw shipments rise 1.9%. Gartner said Western Europe saw very weak demand across all countries, especially in Southern Europe. Shipments in the Asia/Pacific region grew 2%. Gartner noted the weak U.S. and European economic situation as well as a slowing economy in China affected the region's market sentiments. In Latin America, shipments slipped 1.7% while PC shipments jumped 2% in Japan. Write to Nathalie Tadena at nathalie.tadena@dowjones.com
