spur by low - price figurer , global shipments of PCs increase more than 17 pct in the third one-fourth , according to analyst companies IDC and Gartner Inc. , which severally released figures from that period on Monday .

In the U.S. , Apple Computer Inc. compress into the 5th spot on IDC ’s tally with 737,000 shipments for 4.3 percent of the market , with 44.6 percent year - on - year growth . Apple came in fourth on Gartner ’s U.S. shipments name with 744,000 shipments and 4.2 percent of the marketplace .

The news show of Apple ’s outgrowth in PC shipments comes just two weeks after IDC reported significant growth in PC shipments for the company ’s breeding division . Apple currently finds itself in third property in worldwide education computer payload , behind Dell in first place and Hewlett Packard in second place . In the United States , Apple is in second place behind Dell . compare the fourth quarter of 2004 to the 4th one-quarter of 2005 , Apple saw its education computer shipments rise 15.08 pct worldwide and 13.79 per centum in the United States .

Vendor Dell Computer Inc. topped both lists in terms of global shipments and grocery store share , with 18 percent of the market according to IDC and just under 17 percent by Gartner ’s figure of speech .

scummy - cost and portable scheme drive the increase , which happen in spite of higher interest rate and surging oil colour Price , IDC said . microcomputer market increase for the quarter was “ remarkable ” and maintained “ relative independency from broad economic movement , ” Loren Loverde , director of IDC ’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker , allege in a statement Monday .

Loverde ’s counterpart at Gartner highlight home demand for mobile calculator as particularly unassailable in the quarter . Overall marketplace growth was good than expected , said Charles Smulders , vice prexy of Gartner ’s Computing Platforms Worldwide Group .

Aggressive pricing in the U.S. led to shipments that were gamy than expected in the desktop market , coupled with continued demand for notebook computers , IDC said . Hurricane Katrina struck the U.S. Gulf Coast in the middle of the quarter and had some gist on the last calendar month of that period , but the large effect is forecast for the fourth quarter , which has been ushered in by high fuel costs and a drop in consumer confidence .

Outside of the U.S. , European Union elaboration , investment in general infrastructure and low prices kept the PC market hum along , while in Japan , new product launch appealed to buyers . In the Asia - Pacific region keep out Japan , both business and home purchases of computers remained robust , IDC found .

As for vendors , IDC figures show Dell with spheric shipments of well-nigh 9.5 million for the twenty-five percent , and with U.S. shipments of 5.6 million . In percentage terms , those figures gift Dell 18 percent market share globally and 33 percent in the U.S. , both of which were up slimly over the same period of last class . Year - on - twelvemonth , Dell had 17.8 percentage growing internationally and 12.2 percent emergence in the U.S.

Gartner memorialize 9.2 million despatch for Dell globally , for a market place share of nearly 17 percent , with U.S. shipments of 5.5 million for a 30.7 per centum market share .

Second behind Dell for the quarter by both analyst counts was Hewlett - Packard Co. , with intimately 8.5 million shipments globally for a 16 percentage marketplace share , and 3.45 million U.S. despatch for a 20.3 pct share , concord to IDC . HP ’s international year - on - year outgrowth stood at 17.9 percentage and was 10.1 percent in the U.S. Gartner ’s figure for HP came in just below IDC ’s but were like .

Lenovo Group Ltd. was third in globular shipments with just over 4 million for a 7.7 percent market share , according to IDC , and some the same load identification number with a 7.4 percent market part by Gartner ’s enumeration . The society was 4th on IDC ’s leaning for U.S. shipments , with 757,000 units for 4.5 per centum of the marketplace , and tolerate at 5th in the U.S. with 751,000 shipments and 4.2 percent of the market according to Gartner . The third quarter was the second one since Lenovo took over IBM Corp. ’s microcomputer business .

Gateway finished third in U.S. shipments on both analyst companies ’ leaning , with just over 1 million unit and a 6.4 per centum market part , up 35 percent over the third quarter of last year by IDC ’s approximation . Gartner say Gateway had a 6 percent market share and shipments up 33 percent . Gateway did n’t constituent in international shipments by either tally . The companionship place its second consecutive quarter of convalescence after years of declining , IDC said . Gateway made upright utilization of novel dispersion partners and is well positioned to continue its recuperation in the quaternary quarter , IDC said .

Internationally , Acer Inc. was fourth in shipments with nigh 2.5 million for a 4.7 percent marketplace share , up 53.7 percent class - on - year , fit in to IDC , and had 2.4 million shipment and 4.4 percent of the market by Gartner ’s reckoning . Fujitsu Siemens Computers ( Holdings ) BV fill in the fifth situation on both lists , just shy of 2 million shipments worldwide for a 3.8 pct share and 15 percent year - on - year growth according to IDC , and with just over 2.2 million load and 3.7 percent market place part according to Gartner .

IDC , based in Framingham , Massachusetts , is owned by International Data Group Inc. , parent company of IDG News Service . Gartner is based in Stamford , Connecticut .

MacCentral ’s Jim Dalrymple contributed to this report .