Netbooks help Acer to take European PC crown

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 15 Oct 2008 at 16:34

Acer has surged past global champion HP in European PC sales, in the clearest sign of the move towards cheap, small mini-notebook computers.

For the first time since HP merged with Compaq, the company has forfeited its number one position in EMEA to Acer.

The July-September period was marked by strong growth in the lower-cost mini-notebook category, which Acer has been focussing on, according to Gartner analyst Mika Kitagawa. This helped bolster the overall PC market in he face of slumping consumer spending.

Acer's market share gains in the quarter were driven by surging sales of its mini-notebooks, a segment in which HP and Dell don't have a strong presence, she says.

Mini-notebooks, also known as netbooks, refer to PCs with screen sizes of five to 10 inches. They usually cost less than $500 (£285). Kitagawa estimates that less than 5% of overall PC shipments are mini-notebooks, but believes the market seems to be growing.

Overall, worldwide PC shipments rose 15 percent from last year to 80.6 million units. At the same time, U.S. shipments rose 4.6% to 17.4 million units.

HP shipped 14.8 million units in the quarter, for a market share of 18.4%, barely changed from a year ago. Dell was in second place with a share of 13.6%, down 0.5% from last year, while Acer's piece of the market jumped to 12.5% from 9.7%.

Kitagawa also notes that Acer saw 16% US shipment growth from the second quarter, while Dell and HP struggled.