Dell becomes number one PC maker in U.S.

Dell Computer blew past competitor Compaq to become the number one PC manufacturer in the United States, with unit shipments exceeding 17% of the total market for the quarter ending September 30. Compaq fell to second place with 15.3%. Rounding out the top five are Gateway (9.3%), Hewlett-Packard (8.2%), and IBM (7.6%).

Worldwide, Compaq remains the number one PC maker with 12.8% of sales, followed by Dell (10.8%), IBM (7.6%), Hewlett-Packard (6.2%), and Gateway/NEC (tie, 4.3%). PC shipments for the quarter were up 23%, within the United States and worldwide. Apple Computer came in seventh in the United States and eight worldwide.

Almost 30 million PCs were shipped worldwide in the third quarter