IDC reports that the shipment of PCs rose by 2.3% globally for Q3 2009 compared to Q3 2008. That may sound like a slight growth, but compared to Q1 2009 where the market shrank by 6.8% compared to 2008 and Q2 where the market shrank 2.4%, the slight growth is something to talk about. IDC reports that all regions met their growth expectations except for Japan.

"Despite the ongoing mix of gloom and caution on the economic front, the PC market continues to rebound quickly," said Loren Loverde, program director for IDC's Tracker Program. "The competitive landscape, the transition to portables, new and low-power designs, growth in retail and consumer segments, and the impact of falling prices are all reflected in the gains by HP and Acer, as well as overall market growth."

"The continued strength of both the U.S. and worldwide PC business in the face of difficult economic environments underscores the value that both consumer and corporate buyers place on PCs," adds Bob O'Donnell, vice president, Clients and Displays at IDC. "With the forthcoming launch of Windows 7 and expected commercial refresh beginning in 2010, the prospects for future PC market growth are very solid."

HP maintained its spot as the top shipper of PCs in the world with 20.2% of the market. Acer passed Dell to grab the second spot on the list with 14% of the global PC market with Dell slipping to third place with 12.7% of the global market. Rounding out the top five global computer shippers is Lenovo with 8.9% of the market and Toshiba with 5.2% of the market.

Things look a bit different for the U.S. market for the quarter. HP is the top in shipments within the U.S. with 25.5% of the market. Dell is a very close second place with 25% of the U.S. market. Third place goes to Acer with 11.1%, fourth place is Apple with 9.4%, and fifth place goes to Toshiba with 8.1% of the U.S. market.