IDC and Gartner: PC market flattened out in Q2 while Apple, ASUS and Lenovo remain the stars

Microsoft's Steve Ballmer might be working overtime to keep Apple at bay, but the PC market that his company largely built is hurting, if you ask researchers at Gartner and IDC. Both estimate that shipments of traditional computers dropped by a tenth of a point in the second quarter of 2012 - not a good sign when Intel's Ivy Bridge processors and a wave of Ultrabooks were supposed to usher in a PC renaissance. While the exact numbers vary, the two paint a partly familiar picture of the world stage: HP and Dell are taking a bruising, while ASUS and Lenovo are making huge leaps forward.

Engadget , IDC and Gartner: PC market flattened out in Q2 while Apple, ASUS and Lenovo remain the stars, IDC and Gartner: PC market flattened out in Q2 while Apple, ASUS and Lenovo remain the stars