retail expansion

Nearly a year and a half after the return of Michael Dell to the helm of the company he founded, the PC maker finally appears to be on the verge of making a comeback. According to Gartner, Dell's worldwide PC shipments increasing a robust 21.9 percent in the second quarter, fueled by the company's ambitious expansion into retail and other indirect channels.

Global PC shipments during this year's first quarter rose 12.3 percent in comparison with year-earlier results, say researchers at Gartner Client Computing. By contrast, PC shipments in the U.S. grew just three percent year over year to 15.2 million units.

Preliminary results show that PC sales in the U.S. were "modestly affected" by a downturn in the nation's economy, said Gartner analyst Mika Kitagawa. Though there was no one obvious indication of a "fundamental change" in market conditions, Kitagawa noted that the U.S. market is undeniably softening.