PC market picks up in US on stronger economy, upgrades

The PC market is growing once again in the US, thanks to a strong economy and the need for upgrades. New numbers from both IDC and Gartner showed strong PC shipments in the US during the second quarter, but the industry is still shrinking globally. IDC said shipments in the US grew 4.9 percent but dipped 4.5 percent globally. Gartner, which defines Windows tablets as PCs but not Chromebooks, revealed 1.5 percent growth in the US and a 5.2 percent decline globally. The US is in a unique position, however, as its economy is strong relative to many of the world's largest markets. The good news here for PC makers and sellers is that there might be some pent-up demand for upgraded hardware once more economies start to rebound.

Top PC makers from the US are also doing well overall, with HP and Dell both showing positive growth. Lenovo remained the best-performing PC company even as shipments declined by more than 2 percent. IDC showed HP and Dell’s growth at 5.1 and 4.2 percent, respectively. Gartner revealed lower numbers when it factored in Windows tablets, suggesting smaller Windows tablets are not so hot right now. IDC included detachable laptops in their PC numbers, though.

Taiwan companies Asus and Acer are having a good time as well. Asus shipments grew 5.4 percent, according to IDC, which is also higher than Gartner's estimate. Acer was the sixth-largest PC maker globally and grew 0.4 percent, per Gartner. IDC only showed numbers for the top five PC makers.

These four companies might be seeing growth because they have all been experimenting with PC products and are trying to play to their strengths. Like Lenovo, Apple also saw declining shipments, but its MacBook line of products has not had any significant upgrades or innovations in quite a while.

In the meantime, HP announced a MacBook competitor that is now the slimmest laptop on the market. Dell is experimenting with large, interactive displays and is ditching Android tablets to concentrate on the two-in-one Windows laptop space. Asus has concentrated on two-in-ones as well with its popular line of Transformer products and Chromebook Flip. Acer has focused on the low-end market, but this has turned out to be a strength with Chromebooks, which have been bolstered by strong demand in the education segment.

The US market might be a preview of what demand could look like as other economies improve. Eventually, people will have to upgrade their computers. Smartphones, while important, cannot yet replace PCs. This month, Microsoft will start charging for Windows 10 upgrades, which could also entice more people to buy new hardware. PC makers just have to keep innovating to find out what buyers really want in their next computer.