Apple posts year-over-year sales gains while other PC vendors shrink.

The end of Windows XP support has boosted PC sales, easing the decline in worldwide shipments, according to Gartner.

Apple's iPad shipments were flat and its Mac shipments declined in the last quarter

IC Insights says tablets and smartphones will take a larger chunk of overall processor shipments and revenue.

The research firm expects PC shipments to grow by 6.5 percent in 2013.

The smartphone market grew 32 percent year-over-year in the quarter to reach 146 million units, said Strategy Analytics.

Worldwide PC shipments declined by 0.1 percent during the second quarter, according to research firms Gartner and IDC.

Lenovo was China's second largest tablet vendor in this year's first quarter, according to research firm IDC.

Worldwide server shipments and revenue grew in the third quarter this year.

The U.S. was still the largest market by revenue in the third quarter, said Strategy Analytics.

PC prices could rise as a result of hard-drive supply shortages, IDC said.

HP's PC shipments also grew by 5.3 percent year-over-year in the quarter.

Gartner on Thursday lowered its growth forecast for worldwide PC shipments in 2011, joining a growing number of analysts who believe Apple's iPad 2 will bridge the remaining gap between laptops and tablets this year.

Intel on Monday said it had stopped shipments of the chipset used with its latest generation of Core processors after it found a design flaw.

Apple was the world's third-largest PC vendor during the fourth quarter last year if iPad shipments are included, research firm Canalys said in a study released Wednesday.

Worldwide PC shipments were slower than expected during the fourth quarter of 2010, hurt by competition from tablets and a slowdown in consumer spending, IDC said in a study released on Wednesday.

The continuing economic recovery and growing interest in mobile devices will drive PC shipment growth by 19.8 percent this year compared to 2009, IDC said on Tuesday.

Boosted by an increase in iPhone and Mac shipments, Apple reported a 90 percent increase in quarterly profits Tuesday.

Advanced Micro Devices gained share in worldwide processor shipments at the expense of rival Intel during the fourth quarter of 2009, IDC said in a study released on Tuesday.

Apple on Monday reported growth in revenue and net income for the first fiscal quarter of 2010, buoyed by strong iPhone and Mac shipments.