PC sales are plunging worldwide, but not at Lenovo. The world’s No. 1 computer manufacturer widened its hold on the top sales spot in the first quarter, driving up sales and market share, two reports show. Lenovo also is continuing to gain share in the U.S.

Lenovo grew its global share to 19.6 percent from 17.6 percent a year earlier with shipments up 3.4 percent to 12,95 million, IDC reported Thursday.

Gartner, meanwhile, said Lenovo shipped 13.6 million machines, up 5.7 percent, to bump its market share to 18.9 percent from 17 percent.

In the U.S., IDC has Lenovo at No. 3 with an 11.8 percent share and 1.6 million sales. That’s up more than a full percentage point from the same quarter in 2014. Lenovo rnaks No. 3, just ahead of Apple but behind HP and Dell.

Gartner’s U.S. data shows Lenovo at 11.8 market share, up from 10.3 percent and slightly behind Apple.

Overall, weak demand for desktop computers caused PC sales to plunge again in the first quarter of this year, reflecting the industry’s ongoing struggles with the shift to smartphones, tablets and other mobile gadgets.

But Lenovo’s performance led chair and CEO Yang Yuanqing to issue a very positive statement.

“Given industry consolidation, Lenovo’s consistent focus on innovation and delivering award-winning PCs, and our ongoing momentum, we are confident that PCs will continue to be a great engine of strong, profitable growth,” Yuanqing said.

“We have had remarkable growth across all our businesses and success in building the Lenovo brand. I am tremendously proud of our broad success. Even as we continue to diversify and develop additional growth engines – like Mobile and Enterprise – we are fully committed to continuing to lead the way in PCs.

“PCs remain at the heart of our business, delivering 65% of our revenue and record pre-tax income last quarter of almost $500m. Given industry consolidation, Lenovo’s consistent focus on innovation and delivering award-winning PCs, and our ongoing momentum, we are confident that PCs will continue to be a great engine of strong, profitable growth.”

Overall decline

One big reason for the decline was businesses buying fewer desktop computers, according to the Gartner research firm. It noted companies have mostly finished replacing older PCs that used outdated Windows XP software.

PC sales may get a boost later this year when Microsoft Corp. releases its next version of Windows, analysts said, but they’re still expecting an overall decline in sales for this year.

One bright spot identified by Gartner was an increase in sales of laptop computers and hybrid models that combine features of tablets and laptops. That could help drive a gradual return to growth by next year, said Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa.

Gartner estimates PC makers shipped 71.7 million computers in the first quarter, down 5.2 percent from a year earlier. A second research firm, the International Data Corp., used different methods to estimate a decline of 6.7 percent.

By IDC’s count, PC makers shipped 68.5 million PCs in the quarter — the lowest quarterly number in six years, according to senior researcher Jay Chou.

“It’s still a pretty tough market out there,” Chou said. While his firm had forecast a slightly bigger decline, he said, “it’s really nothing to celebrate.”

Global PC sales have fallen steadily over the last three years, but IDC and Gartner are projecting a return to growth in 2016. While many computer users now prefer portable devices, analysts say some people who bought tablets are finding that laptop PCs are more practical for certain activities, such as extended typing.

The slow-down in PC sales has rippled through Silicon Valley. Intel Corp., which makes the microprocessors used in most PCs, lowered its revenue forecast last month while citing weak demand for desktop PCs. Intel will report first-quarter earnings on Tuesday.