Hewlett-Packard Expected To Top Lenovo, Take Back First Place

In the ongoing battle for supremacy in PC manufacturing,

and Lenovo continue to fight a heated battle.

On a quarterly basis, either of these firms could emerge as the world's largest producer in any particular category. During the second quarter, Lenovo

as the world's top PC vendor. This success was not limited to notebooks -- Lenovo reportedly led the entire PC market. According to

, Hewlett-Packard is poised to take back the crown during the third quarter -- but only for notebooks. While it is possible that the company could rise on all fronts, Hewlett-Packard is expected to experience a notebook shipment increase of 15 to 20 percent. Lenovo will reportedly incur a seven to nine percent decrease during this same period. This will pave the way for a Hewlett-Packard comeback.

Hewlett-Packard's growth is being attributed to government procurement projects, none of which have been made public. According to the report, 1.5 million notebooks have been sold to the government of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The government plans to use them for educational purposes. No other details were provided. In the future, Hewlett-Packard could also score a deal with the Indian government that could raise its notebook orders by an additional two million units. Sales are only one part of the equation, however. Hewlett-Packard has been working hard to rebuild its image after months of sales declines. One analyst was so disappointed with the firm's results that he

to it as a "lazy company." Hewlett-Packard has come a long way since then, releasing a

(which can be purchased for as low as $139). The company also excited consumers after releasing the first glimpse of its

.