Sales of PC continue to plummet with global shipments falling 5.2 per cent in the second quarter to 64.3 million units, according to new figures from research firm Gartner.

This was the seventh consecutive quarter of shipment declines, with all regions except North America recording a drop in sales.

Gartner’s data includes desk-based PCs, notebook PCs and ultramobile premiums, but not tablets.

Lenovo remained the single biggest seller of PCs globally, despite recording its fifth consecutive shipment decline. During the second quarter, sales dipped by 2.2 per cent to 13.2 million units, giving Lenovo a 20.5 per cent market share.

HP, the second biggest PC manufacturer, returned to positive growth during the quarter, performing particularly well in EMEA, where it remains top vendor. It recorded a 1.8 per cent rise in worldwide sales, equivalent to 12.3 million units.

Dell saw shipments rise 3.1 per cent to 9.8 million units, giving it a 15.2 per cent market share.

Apple saw sales plunge by nearly 5 per cent during the quarter to 4.6 million. It finished the quarter battling for fourth position globally with Asus and Acer, which recorded shipments of 4.7 million and 4.4 million respectively during April to June.

PC shipments in EMEA totalled 17.8 million units, down 4.3 percent year-over-year. Brexit had no impact in the second quarter beyond the steadily weaker pound since the referendum was announced in 2015. However, post-Brexit sterling was sharply weaker against the dollar, and this will likely cause price increases that will lead to pressure on third and fourth-quarter sales in the UK, Gartner said.

In the US, PC shipments totalled 15.2 million units in the second quarter, up 1.4 per cent year-on-year. Asia/Pacific sales reached 22.7 million units down 6.3 per cent versus the second quarter of 2015.