“Worldwide, HP achieved a market share of 16.9 percent in the fourth quarter, up 21.7 percent from its market share of 16 percent in the fourth quarter a year ago, according to IDC,” Michael Kanellos reports for CNET News.com. “Dell, meanwhile, achieved a worldwide market share in the fourth quarter of 16.3 percent, up 19.7 percent from its market share of 15.6 percent a year ago. Overall, the market grew 15.2 percent, according to IDC. HP and Dell have traded off the lead a number of times since HP completed its merger with Compaq in spring 2002.”

“For the year, though, Dell remained No. 1, hitting a worldwide market share of 16.9 percent, up 25 percent from the overall figure of 2002 of 15.1 percent. HP’s annual market share came in a 16.4 percent worldwide, up 14.5 percent from its share of 16 percent for 2002 as a whole,” Kanellos reports. “In the United States, Dell stayed on top with a 30.2 percent market share for the fourth quarter and a 30.9 percent for the year. HP came in with 21.7 percent share for the quarter and a 20.6 percent for the year in the United States.”

“Third place IBM, meanwhile, which caters almost exclusively to business customers, saw its market share worldwide grow to 6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2003, up 17.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2002. IBM was also third in the U.S,” Kanellos reports. “Other companies with notable results include eMachines, which jumped into the top five manufacturers in the United States, according to Kay, passing both Gateway and Apple Computer. Toshiba, meanwhile, was in the top five in the United States and worldwide because of notebook sales.”

Kanellos reports, “By contrast, Gateway saw its market share shrink in the fourth quarter, Smulders said. Apple also saw its market share stay below the 2 percent mark worldwide in 2003 and below the 3 percent mark in the United States for the year, Smulders said.”

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