HP increases lead over Dell in PC market

18-10-2007

by Charlie Taylor

PC shipments grew by 15.5 percent in the third quarter of 2007, with sales proving particularly strong in Europe, the Middle East and Asia (EMEA).

That's according to the latest IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, which reveals that demand for portable PCs, including notebooks and ultraportables, was buoyant during the three-month period.

"The appeal of portable PCs in all regions continues to propel the PC market at a remarkable pace and sets the stage for a very strong fourth quarter," said Loren Loverde, director of IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.

"Falling costs, aggressive vendor competition, and rising commercial spending in all regions, along with relatively low penetration and rising consumer income in emerging markets, will sustain high growth over the next couple years," added Loverde.

Overall, there was around 67 million PCs shipped in the quarter. EMEA saw strong growth during the quarter thanks to back-to-school sales growth and increased sales in the SME sector. Desktop volumes also increased incrementally.

In the US, desktop sales declined while growth in portables remained strong but below the second quarter level. Dell continued to lead the US market, although total volume was down on the same three-month period a year ago. Meanwhile, HP saw year-on-year growth of nearly 17 percent.

Globally, HP remains the leading PC manufacturer with a 2.5 percent jump in market share compared to last year. It currently has a 19.6 percent share versus Dell's 15.2 percent. Moreover, for the second consecutive quarter the firm saw year-on-year shipment growth of more than 30 percent.

HP's main rival Dell saw improved growth in EMEA and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) but enjoyed less success in the US and Japan during the third quarter. Overall, it recorded year-on-year growth of 3.8 percent.

The world's third leading PC manufacturer Lenovo had another solid quarter, recording growth of nearly 23 percent for a second consecutive quarter. It has market share of 8.2 percent overall.

Coming up close behind is Acer which continued to win the hearts and minds of PC buyers, recording worldwide growth of nearly 60 percent.

The company recorded strong sales in EMEA and Asia/Pacific, but these pale into insignificance when compared to the US where it saw growth of 100 percent or more for a third consecutive quarter. It finished the quarter with 8.1 percent market share.

Bringing up the rear is Toshiba which saw worldwide volume increase by 17 percent year-on-year, down from over 20 percent in the second quarter. Toshiba currently has 4.4 percent share.