(Telecompaper) Worldwide PC shipments reached 82.6 million units in the fourth quarter, down 6.9 percent from the year before and the seventh consecutive quarter of lower shipments, according to preliminary results by Gartner. Gartner said markets such as the US have bottomed out as the adjustment to the installed base slows. Still, strong growth in tablets continued to negatively impact PC growth in emerging markets. In these markets, Gartner said that the first connected device for consumers is most likely a smartphone, and the first computing device a tablet. For the year, PC shipments fell 10 percent from the year before to 315.9 million units, the worst decline in PC market history, equal to shipment levels in 2009. Lenovo took over the top spot in the global PC market, accounting for 16.9 percent of the market. HP moved into the second spot after experiencing a shipment decline of 9.3 percent. Lenovo also led the PC market in Q4, accounting for 18.1 percent of global PC shipments.