Worldwide personal computer shipments fell for the seventh consecutive quarter from October to December, Gartner Inc said on Friday, adding a rebound may be on the horizon.

A total of 82.6 million desktops and laptops were shipped in the fourth quarter of last year, a 7-percent drop compared to a year ago, the United States research firm said.

Global PC shipments for 2013 totaled 315.9 million, a decline of 10 percent year-on-year.

Chinese vendor Lenovo Group Ltd was pulling ahead of second-place Hewlett-Packard Co.

Lenovo shipped nearly 15 million PCs, representing 18 percent of market share. HP's market share stood at 16.4 percent, said Gartner.

“Although PC shipments continued to decline in the worldwide market, we increasingly believe markets ––such as the US –– have bottomed out,” said Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa.