Apple has enjoyed a strong second quarter of 2008, with sales growing faster than any other manufacturer.

Gartner reported that Apple's sales grew 38 per cent over the period, and that the company now has 8.5 per cent of the US market.

HP consolidated its position as market leader with over 11 per cent sales growth, giving it a market share of 31.9 per cent.

Overall the decaying economic situation seems to have proved something of a boon to PC manufacturers.

"US professional units look to have been affected by tightening IT budgets as businesses responded to growing economic uncertainty," said Mika Kitagawa, principal analyst for Gartner's Client Computing Markets group.

"Desk-based PCs gained traction among some professional users. Because desk-based PC deployment costs are still lower than that of mobile PCs, they provide a less expensive option for buyers with tighter budgets."

The big loser over the second quarter was Acer, which saw sales decline by over 20 per cent to put the company behind Apple for the first time.