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Yes—both Gartner Dataquest and IDC ranked HP first in worldwide PC unit shipments for 2002, but their estimates differed on how close the race was. Gartner Dataquest’s preliminary annual figures counted HP and Compaq together at 16.2% share, ahead of Dell at 15.2%; IDC’s estimate put HP at 16.1% and Dell at 15.7%. These were provider estimates of shipments, not a single reconciled count or a ranking by revenue.

What “first” meant in the 2002 PC market

The ranking was based on worldwide PC unit shipments during calendar year 2002. Gartner Dataquest’s preliminary figures, published by EE Times on January 17, 2003, put the combined Hewlett-Packard and Compaq entity first. The measure does not establish which company had the most PC revenue, profit, customers, or installed devices.

Gartner Dataquest estimated that worldwide shipments reached 132.4 million PCs in 2002, a 2.7% increase from 2001. Its vendor shares were:

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Vendor or combined entity Worldwide 2002 shipment share
HP and Compaq 16.2%
Dell 15.2%
IBM 6%
NEC 3.4%
Toshiba 3.2%

These are Gartner Dataquest’s preliminary estimates as reported by EE Times, not final audited counts. The cited coverage does not provide the providers’ full category definitions or methodology, so figures from different firms should remain attributed to their source.

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Why IDC’s estimate shows a closer race

IDC also ranked HP first worldwide for the full year, but estimated a narrower gap: 16.1% for HP and 15.7% for Dell. eWeek’s January 17, 2003 comparison reported both providers’ estimates.

Provider and period HP share Dell share Lead
Gartner Dataquest, full-year 2002 preliminary estimate 16.2% 15.2% 1.0 percentage point
IDC, full-year 2002 estimate 16.1% 15.7% 0.4 percentage point

The estimates agree on the ranking, not on the size of HP’s lead. Neither cited report establishes a final adjudicated figure or explains every difference in how the providers counted the market.

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The worldwide lead did not mean HP led in the United States

Geography changes the result. Gartner Dataquest figures reported by Computerworld on January 17, 2003 put Dell at 27.9% of U.S. PC share and HP at 19.8% for full-year 2002. The worldwide ranking therefore should not be read as a claim that HP led in every national market.

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What was happening in the market

The modest worldwide growth concealed different demand patterns. Computerworld reported that consumer sales were the strongest-growing part of the market, with notebooks and other mobile PCs gaining traction among consumers. Corporate demand remained weak as businesses extended PC lifetimes rather than upgrading amid economic uncertainty. Dell’s shipment growth was supported by Asia-Pacific, Japan, and Latin America.

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In Gartner Dataquest’s full-year comparisons reported by Computerworld, Dell shipments grew 18.3%, while HP PC sales declined 9.3%. These vendor changes are consistent with a competitive market in transition, not evidence that HP led every segment or that its annual share rose.

Annual ranking versus a quarterly claim

HP also regained the worldwide lead in the fourth quarter of 2002, according to IDC data cited in HP’s Q1 FY2003 investor release. HP described that scope as total PC clients for home and business, including desktops and notebooks, and said it had gained unit share sequentially. That is a quarterly, company-published account of IDC’s result; it is distinct from Gartner Dataquest’s preliminary full-year 16.2% estimate.

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HP vice president of marketing Jim McDonnell told eWeek that the sequential comparison was “more telling” and said HP outgrew Dell and the market from Q3 to Q4. That was HP’s characterization of quarter-to-quarter performance, not an independent conclusion about the full-year ranking. Gartner Dataquest vice president Charles Smulders, meanwhile, said the worldwide market had two consecutive quarters of year-over-year shipment growth in the second half, while describing demand as still near the bottom of a growth cycle. Both statements concern the period’s evolving market, not a current position.

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What the old forecast did—and did not—say

Computerworld reported that Gartner Dataquest forecast 7.6% worldwide PC sales growth for 2003. That was a forecast made in January 2003, not a realized result; it should not be used as evidence of what later happened.

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