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Highlights:

1. The worldwide PC shipments was 62.2 million units in Q1 of 2017 as against 63.7 million units in Q1 of 2016

2. It was the first time since 2007 that the worldwide PC market experienced shipments below 63 million units in a quarter

3. The top three PC manufacturing firms-Lenovo, HP Inc and Dell have recorded moderate growth in Q1 of 2017

The global shipments of personal computers (PCs) for the first time in a decade declined over 2% in the first quarter (Q1) of the present year on account of fall in consumer demand, said Gartner Inc on Wednesday.

"Worldwide PC shipments totaled 62.2 million units in the first quarter (Q1) of 2017, a 2.4% decline from the first quarter (Q1) of 2016," cited the information technology and research advisory firm in a press release. 

The global PC shipments were 63.7 million units in the first quarter (Q1) of 2016.

The first quarter (Q1) of 2017 was the first time since 2007 that the PC market experienced shipments below 63 million units in a quarter, it said.

Commenting on fall in the worldwide PC shipments, Gartner said, "The PC industry experienced modest growth in the business PC market, but this was offset by declining consumer demand. Consumers continued to refrain from replacing older PCs, and some consumers have abandoned the PC market altogether." 

According to Gartner, companies will have maintain a strong position in the PC business market in order to keep the sustainable growth in the market.

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"While the consumer market will continue to shrink, maintaining a strong position in the business market will be critical to keep sustainable growth in the PC market. Winners in the business segment will ultimately be the survivors in this shrinking market," Gartner principal analyst Mikako Kitagawa, said in a statement.

"Vendors who do not have a strong presence in the business market will encounter major problems, and they will be forced to exit the PC market in the next five years. However, there will also be specialised niche players with purpose-built PCs, such as gaming PCs and ruggedized laptops,"  Kitagawa added.

The top three PC manufacturing companies namely Lenovo, HP Inc and Dell have recorded moderate growth in the first quarter (Q1) of this year.

The global PC shipments of Lenovo in the first quarter (Q1) of 2017 was up 1.2% to 12,377 thousands of units as compared to 12,226 thousands of units in the first quarter (Q1) of 2016. 

The worldwide PC shipments of HP Inc in the period under review was up 6.5% to 12,118 thousands of units as against 11, 383 thousands of units in the corresponding period of last year. 

The global PC shipments of Dell in Q1 of 2017 rose by 3.4% to 9,351 thousands of units as against 9,040 thousands of units in Q1 of 2017. 

Gartner's Preliminary Worldwide PC Vendor Unit Shipment Estimates for Q1 of 2017 (Thousands of Units):

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