Tablets Deliver Another Blow to the PC Industry

Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) regained the top spot in worldwide PC shipments in the fourth quarter, but still posted a decline in shipments when compared to a year earlier. Analysts suspect HP sacrificed margins to gain market share.

Lenovo came in second with almost 14 million PC shipments in the fourth quarter, an 8.2 percent jump from the prior year. It was the best growth rate among the top five PC vendors worldwide. Dell (NASDAQ:DELL) rounded out the top three with 9.2 million shipments, down 20.9 percent from the same quarter in 2011.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) shows growth in the United States…