Note: The Skinny blog is written by Rick Smith, editor and co-founder of WRAL Tech Wire and business editor of WRAL.com.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. – Remember that scene in “Jurassic Park” where that charging, roaring T-Rex was the object in the rearview mirror that was really closer than it appeared? Well, in the latest global PC statistics, Lenovo is the T-Rex that just ate Dell and is closing in on HP.

Boosted by shipments that surged 25 percent or more in the third quarter, Lenovo roared past Dell to become the world’s No. 2 PC power in terms of units shipped. Only HP stands between the company built in large part on the remains of IBM’s PC business that Lenovo acquired six years ago and the No. 1 spot.

Lenovo also surged to the No. 5 spot in the U.S. market in IDC’s report with sales jumping 22 percent in a flat market. That growth alone is an impressive indicator of Lenovo’s growing power since so much of its success has been attributed to its dominance in the home market of China.

The news led Lenovo Chief Executive Officer Yang Yuanqing to salute his troops in the march to PC rule. But Yang and Lenovo’s top management, which is based primarily in China along with most of its operations, have a bigger goal in mind:

Lenovo is striving to become the “leading personal technology company in the world,” according to Yang.

“Lenovo has captured incredible marketplace momentum to surpass two competitors to capture the No. 2 spot in worldwide PCs over the span of just two quarters,” Yang said in a statement issued shortly after research firms IDC and Gartner issued their quarterly updates Wednesday evening. (Read details here.)

“This is the highest rank Lenovo has achieved in worldwide PC sales and, given the current competitive environment, positions the company as a strong challenger to ultimately become the global market leader,” Yang added.

Through recent mergers and deals, Lenovo is boosting market share and sales in Japan (NEC) as well as Europe (Medion). But the climb to No. 2 dates back five quarters to a reorganization of the firm, a shuffling of management that put Yang back in the CEO chair from chairman, and an aggressive rollout of new products, from netbooks to thinner laptops and a new series of tablets. Lenovo President Rory Read recently quit to take over chip maker AMD, but so far Lenovo doesn’t seem to be affected.

Quarterly financials have been strong as well with revenues and profits at record levels.

“Aggressive Marketing”

Gartner acknowledged Lenovo’s aggressiveness as a key to its surge.

“Lenovo became the second-largest PC vendor in the worldwide market for the first time,” its report said. “The company’s expansion was boosted in part by the joint vendor with NEC in Japan. However, its aggressive marketing to both the professional and consumer PC markets accelerated its shipment volume.”

Lenovo soared passed Acer (No. 4) and Dell also in part because sales at those firms faltered. Acer, which is Lenovo’s arch rival in Asia and is based in Taiwan, is tumbling after a change in management and a bet on netbooks that failed to pay off. Acer’s market share has plunged to 10 percent from 14 percent just a year ago.

Dell, meanwhile, is trying to grow other parts of its business, such as tech services. Its market share has slipped to 11.6 percent from 12.2 percent, according to Garnter.

Before HP put Meg Whitman in charge as CEO, that company was hinting it might even sell its PC business. Whitman reportedly has decided not to make that move. Despite the internal turmoil, HP did improve its market share in the third quarter.

“Fully Committed to the PC Market”

At Lenovo, however, PCs remain king.

The company is selling smartphones now and is dabbling in other products. But a new lineup of tablets indicates that computing power – from desktop to mobile devices – is Lenovo’s heart and soul.

“We are growing in the enterprise and the consumer space – and our customers know we are fully committed to the PC market for the long term,” Yang said.

“At the same time, we will continue to invest in innovative products that will help drive the convergence of technologies and services across all four screens – smart phones, tablets, PCs and smart TV. We must deliver a great user experience across all platforms to achieve our goal and become the leading personal technology company in the world. I believe we have the products, the team, the strategy and the momentum to achieve this long-term aspiration.”

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