Mumbai, Jul 12 (IANS): Worldwide PC shipment for the second quarter of 2016 stood at 64.3 million units -- registering a decline of 5.2 per cent from the second quarter of 2015, market research firm Gartner said on Tuesday.

This was the seventh consecutive quarter of the declining PC shipment, but according to Gartner analysts, the market is showing some signs of improvement as PC shipments in north America increased for the first time in five quarters.

"One of the ongoing problems in the PC market has been the price hike in selected regions due to the weakening local currency against the US dollar. The price issue has impacted the EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and Latin America regions for the past year," said Mikako Kitagawa, Principal Analyst at Gartner, in a statement.

Lenovo maintained the top spot in worldwide PC shipments in the second quarter of 2016 despite a 2.2 per cent decline in units from the same period last year.

HP Inc returned to positive growth in the second quarter of 2016 after four consecutive quarters of shipment decline.

Dell's mobile PC shipments grew across all regions except EMEA, while its desktop PC shipments declined in most regions.

Asus, Apple and Acer are battling it out for the fourth position in worldwide PC shipments for the second quarter of 2016, as preliminary results get finalized, the report added.