According to a report issued by the Associated Press and posted on manufacturing.net, the number of personal computers shipped worldwide  in the first three months of the year increased 1.9% from a year earlier.
 
The report also indicates another research group, IDC, also announced that shipments were up 2.3%, above its expectations of a 0.9% decline.

The article cites that personal computers have taken a backseat to tablet computers such as the iPad in the U.S. and other industrialized nations and Gartner also found that PCs also are falling short of expectations in other markets worldwide.  According to the AP report, Gartner found that  PC shipments declined 3.5% in the U.S. while shipments to Japan rose 11.5% and those to the larger Europe and Middle East region increased 6.7%.