Apple Inc. (AAPL  ) had a 20.8% increase in personal computer shipments for the second quarter, marking the largest growth among global PC manufacturers.

What Happened: The PC industry, which faced historic declines, is showing signs of recovery with two consecutive quarters of growth.

According to the latest report by IDC that was made public on Tuesday, the worldwide shipments of desktops and laptops saw a 3% rise from the same period last year. Apple and Acer Inc. experienced the most substantial shipment growth among major manufacturers, with the latter posting a 14% increase.

Despite the overall growth, Dell Technologies Inc.'s (DELL  ) shipments decreased by 2.4% in the quarter, making it the only major company to see a decline.

Lenovo Group Ltd. (LNVGY  ) held the highest market share at nearly 23%, while HP Inc. (HPQ  ) saw a 1.8% increase from a year earlier, securing its position as the second-largest PC maker with 21% of the market.

Excluding China, where demand was weak, worldwide shipments grew by more than 5%, according to IDC.

Why It Matters: This surge in Apple's PC shipments is particularly noteworthy given the company's recent struggles. Last year, Apple was hit hardest by a global PC shipment decline of 29% in Q1 2023, with its MacBook shipments falling by 40.5%.

The PC industry has faced significant declines after consumers, businesses, and schools purchased new machines during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, and then delayed replacements.

In January this year, Intel (INTC  ) CFO David Zinsner in a post-earnings conference call said that the company is banking on the rise of AI to drive consumers to purchase new PCs in the future. The "age of AI PC further enhances the value of device refresh," he stated at the time.

His sentiments were echoed by the analyst firm Counterpoint Research, which noted that the global PC industry is showing "early signs of recovery."