China’s Lenovo Group held on to its position as the world’s second-largest supplier of personal computers in the third quarter, despite flat shipment growth that saw it struggle with weak notebook sales in North America. Hong Kong-listed Lenovo shipped 14.5 million personal computers worldwide in the quarter ended September 30 to grab a 21.6% share of the global market, behind market leader HP’s 22.8% share on shipments of 15.3 million units, according to preliminary industry estimates from research firm IDC.

The results of the top two players last quarter marked some stability in the personal computer industry, which recorded a 0.5% year-on-year decrease in shipments to 60.3 million units during the period – better than IDC’s earlier prediction of a 1.4% decline. Research firm Gartner, however, estimated a 3.6% year-on-year fall in total global personal computer shipments to 67 million units in the third quarter. “Business PC demand, led by Windows 10 upgrades, continued to drive PC shipments across all regions, but its refresh schedule varies by region,” said Gartner Analyst Mika Kitagawa. Gartner indicated a much closer race between HP and Lenovo. It saw HP ship 14.6 million personal computers in the third quarter for a 21.8% global share, while Lenovo secured a 21.4% share on shipments of 14.3 million units in the same period.

IDC said competitive pressures further cemented the dominance of the world’s top five personal computer suppliers, which accounted for nearly 75% of the total market. Third-ranked Dell shipped 10.8 million units for a 16.1% global market share. Apple seized a 7.3% share on shipments of 4.9 million units, while Taiwan’s Asus had a 6.2% share on shipments of 4.2 million.