Worldwide PC shipments have powered ahead of forecasts, clocking 84.3 million units in the first quarter of calendar year 2010, said research firm Gartner. Sustained growth is expected in the second quarter as well, as more users replace their ageing computers while upgrading to the latest Windows 7 operating system.

While Gartner had expected a 22% shipment growth from the first quarter of 2009, the actual growth was 27.4%. The biggest growth came from Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), which grew 24.8%.

According to preliminary data, HP maintained its global leadership in marketshare, though it grew slower. Dell shipments soared 20%, boosted by international shipments.

Said Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst, Gartner: ?These results indicate that the professional PC market is picking up, driven by PC replacements in mature markets. Major PC replacement demand driven by Windows 7 will become more apparent in the second half of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.?

?Although the first quarter is not typically a strong quarter for the consumer market, growth in the consumer segment was strong. We are expecting about 30 % growth in the US consumer PC market in the first quarter of 2010. The positive economic outlook and affordable system prices drove US consumers to buy more PCs. These purchases either replaced aging PCs or became additions to buyers’ households,? Kitagawa said.

?In the professional segment, we are seeing gradual signs of improvement, and we are expecting about 10% growth in the professional market in the first quarter.?

In the first quarter of 2010, PC shipments in EMEA totaled 27.1 million units, a 24.8 % increase from the first quarter last year. In Asia-Pacific, PC shipments reached 26.5 million units, a 36.9 % increase from the first quarter of 2009. PC shipments in China grew 45.4 %. The PC market in Latin America grew 35.4 %, with shipments reaching 7.2 million units in the first quarter of 2010. In Japan, PC shipments totaled 4.3 million units in the first quarter of 2010, a 14.7 % increase from the same period last year.

HP, despite its market leadership, grew slower than the global average in the first quarter of 2010. The company faced continued pressure from its Asian rivals which are gaining share. However, HP?s strength could be apparent as the professional market rebounds. Acer had strong shipment growth across all regions. Acer’s business model allows it to meet price points that other vendors find difficult to match. Dell achieved year-over-year growth above 20% for the first time in two years. Dell?s growth was attributed to strong international sales.

Lenovo?s PC shipments increased 59.2% in the first quarter of 2010. Lenovo?s commitment to expand into the consumer segment seems to have brought positive results, although its heavy dependence on China?s market remained unchanged.