WSJ.com - Dell Ousts H-P As Top PC Seller In the 4th Period

WSJ.com - Dell Ousts H-P As Top PC Seller In the 4th Period: "Dell Inc. was the No. 1 seller of personal computers world-wide in the fourth quarter -- the first time in two years it hasn't relinquished the position to Hewlett-Packard Co. during the holiday period heavy with home users, according to two new research reports.
H-P's market share slipped to 15%, while Dell, based in Round Rock, Texas, grabbed a 15.9% share of fourth-quarter shipments, according to researcher Gartner Inc. Historically, fourth-quarter retail sales gave H-P, Palo Alto, Calif., its largest share of the year.
'It no longer appears to be a two-horse race,' said International Data Corp. analyst Roger Kay. H-P's loss of the fourth-quarter crown comes just after it disclosed a reorganization that folds PC operations under its printer unit. Dell shipments rose 21.1% to 8.8 million, well above the industry average, according to IDC."