Research firm Gartner released their preliminary personal computer shipment data for Q2 2012, which shows the increases, or decreases from various companies. Apple only had a very small year-over-year growth of 4.3-percent in the U.S., but they were the only company that saw year-over-year growth.

They outperformed the overall industry and its 5.7-percent decline. Apple's share rose from 10.8-percent this time last year, to 12-percent for this year. This quarters improvement was a return to form, after two straight quarters of decline. It let Apple hold onto its third position after HP and Dell in the United States. It was Apple's second best performance over the years, following a 12.9-percent share in Q3 2011.

Q3 is usually a great quarter for Apple, as its includes those great back-to-school purchases in Apple's strongest markets, and is usually their best-performing quarter. Apple didn't reach the top five vendors in the world, so it's good to see them at least enjoying some growth in the United States.