• Austin American-Statesman, Thursday, April 16, 2009 10:45 AM

After a 10-year run as the top shipper of personal computers to U.S. customers, Dell dropped to second place behind Hewlett-Packard in the first quarter, Dan Zehr reports. H-P, Acer and other top computer makers posted gains or comparatively small declines, but Dell's shipments dropped precipitously, both in the U.S. and worldwide, according to preliminary data released Wednesday by two technology research firms.

In the U.S., Dell's first-quarter shipments dropped 16.2%, while H-P increased domestic shipments by 12.2%, IDC says. This results in 27.6% percent share of the U.S. market for H-P to 26.3% for Dell. Overall, U.S. personal computer shipments declined 3.1%.

"This looks like a rout on the part of H-P," says technology consultant Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies Associates. "And it's not just H-P; Acer's now coming up and looking like a force." Worldwide, Acer's shipments increased 6.8% in the first quarter, IDC says, compared with 2.9% growth at H-P and a 16.7% nosedive at Dell. Apple's U.S. market share edged up to 7.6%.

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