Worldwide, 123.9 million PCs shipped in Q2 2014, representing year-on-year growth of 14%, according to data released by Canalys. But with effectively no sequential growth, it would appear that the positive effect that tablets have had on overall PC shipments is beginning to wear off. Canalys said that Apple continued to lead the market with a 14% market share, though a 10% increase in Mac shipments could not make up for a decline in iPad sales, resulting in the company’s overall shipments declining by 5%. Lenovo had another impressive quarter, with shipments up almost 20% year on year, boosting its share to just below 14% - some 780,000 units behind Apple. Rounding off the top four, both HP and Dell posted year-on-year increases in shipments, at 11% and 14% respectively, leading to sequential increases in market share.

Worldwide tablet shipments fell approximately 5% sequentially to 48.4 million units, as Apple and Samsung suffered shipment declines. Apple shipped just under 13.3 million iPads in its weakest quarter since Q1 2012. Samsung shipped just under 8.9 million tablets during the quarter, which represents a sequential decline, albeit not quite as sharp as Apple’s. Apple and Samsung continue to account for 46% of global tablet shipments, and as a result many markets hinge on their combined success. Tablet shipments in Asia Pacific (including China) came in 8% below Q1 2014 numbers, mainly due to a fall in shipments by the leading pair. Conversely, both companies fared better in the US, and, as a result, tablet shipments there increased 4% quarter on quarter.

The notebook market enjoyed a resurgence in Q2 2014, with shipments all but flat on the same quarter a year ago. With 49.1 million units shipped in the quarter, notebook shipments surpassed those of tablets for the first time since Q3 2013. Improving economic conditions and ongoing XP migration continue to drive a refresh in the corporate space. Chromebooks are gaining traction, with increasing demand from consumers and education, especially in the US. Intel’s Atom-based Bay Trail platform and the falling price of touch-screens are driving down the cost of consumer notebooks.