PC sales have been falling in the alast couple of years, but quarterly figures released Wednesday by the research firms Gartner Inc. and International Data Corp. show the global slump is easing. According to IDC, worldwide PC shipments totaled 74.4 million units in the second quarter of 2014 (2Q14), a year-on-year decline of -1.7%. Gartner said that worldwide PC shipments totaled 75.8 million units in the same period, a 0.1 percent increase from the second quarter of 2013.

The results reflect the smallest decline in global PC shipments since the second quarter of 2012 when declining shipments of mini notebooks combined with a surge in tablet sales to disrupt the PC market.

Despite the end of Windows XP support in early April, it appears many Windows XP migrations continue to take place. Most major vendors saw solid growth, and early indications also point to desktop shipments being stronger than expected in some areas, signaling continued business buying. The consumer side also appears stronger than expected, with growing activity among the lower-priced models as well as Chromebooks. The good intake of lower-end systems coincides with the recent slowing in tablet growth.

On a geographic basis, Europe, the United States, and Canada showed the strongest growth, reflecting more stable conditions. Japan would have joined list but for the dramatic surge last quarter and new taxes that limited second quarter growth. In contrast, emerging regions continue to see declining PC volumes as weaker economies and political issues combine to depress growth.

Lenovo extended its lead as the leader in worldwide PC shipments, as its worldwide market share increased to 19.2 percent (Gartner).

HP achieved its fastest global PC shipment increase in the last four years. The company has put a lot of effort into restoring its PC business, including the review of the product family and stock keeping units (SKUs), as well as revitalizing the channel partner program. HP did very well in EMEA with 21 percent shipment growth, securing the top spot in the region.

The second quarter of 2014 was the second consecutive quarter of double-digital growth for Dell's global PC shipments. The company benefited from strong business PC demand.

Acer continues to diversify its business, with efforts into mobile devices and cloud storage as well as competitively priced PCs. Second quarter PC volume declined -2.5%, which was a marked improvement over recent trends (IDC).

ASUS grew 3.3% (IDC) on the strength of strong shipments of entry and mid-level notebooks. The vendor has also taken steps to capture opportunities created by the sale of Sony's PC division.

Four of the top five vendors in the U.S. market experienced double-digit growth. HP was the market leader, accounting for 27.7 percent of PC shipments (Gartner).

GARTNER - Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q14 (Units)

IDC- Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q14 (Thousand of Units)

Note: Data includes desk-based PCs and Notebook PCs and Ultramobile Premium. Ultramobile Premium includes x86 tablets equipped with Windows 8, but excludes Chromebooks and other tablets.

GARTNER - Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q14 (Thousands of units)

IDC - Preliminary U.S. PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for 2Q14 (Thousands of units)