Hewlett-Packard, one of the few major PC companies to face no major battery recall issues, overshot rival Dell to reclaim the number 1 position in worldwide PC market share during the third quarter, according to research firms Gartner Group and IDC.

Both firms said Dell's market share declined in both the U.S. and worldwide, during a third quarter in which the Round Rock, Tex.-based computer maker fought news of investigations into its finances, declining revenue growth, and a massive, 4.1 million-unit recall of Sony batteries for its laptops that carried a risk of overheating and bursting into flames.

The market share loss could be a bitter pill for Dell, which has made its position as the Number 1 PC maker the exclamation point on its claims that the direct-to-market sales model is superior to competition.

InformationWeek