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The latest figures from Gartner claim that the worldwide PC market grew 16% in the second quarter of 2008, compared to the same quarter last year.

Laptops continue to be the main reason for the increase in shipments, as the average selling price of a laptop continues to fall sharply.

"Economic uncertainties have hit PC revenues, resulting in steep ASP [average selling price] declines, especially in markets such as the United States and the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region," says Gartner principal analyst, Mika Kitagawa. "The industry could ultimately see a significant

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wave of consolidation if stronger vendors continue to press their pricing advantage."

HP retains its place at the top of the world PC league, increasing its market share marginally to 18.1%. However, Dell's second coming is really starting to gain momentum, with the company increasing its market share from 14.8% in Q2 2007 to 15.6% in Q2 2008.

Dell's revamped laptop lines - including the redesigned Inspirons and the newly-introduced Studio range - are performing especially well, with the company showing 40% year-on-year growth in laptops.

Sales of Apple Macs are also booming, with the company's PC shipments growing by nearly 40% in the second quarter in the US, where it is now the third largest PC maker.

EMEA PC growth is especially strong, with shipments up by nearly a quarter on last year, largely due to the emerging markets in Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Gartner's Top five worldwide PC vendors:

1. HP - 18.1%
2. Dell - 15.6%
3. Acer - 9.4%
4. Lenovo - 7.8%
5. Toshiba - 4.4%