Acer ranks number one for PC shipments

Acer has officially taken the number one spot off of HP in the Western European PC market, according to a Gartner report.

HP had a 22.6 per cent market share in the first quarter of 2010, compared to Acer's 23.4 per cent. Dell was in third place on 10 per cent, while Asus was in fourth after nearly doubling its PC shipments from the same quarter last year.

The Gartner report also showed that the overall Western European PC market grew 19.4 per cent in the first quarter of 2010, when compared to the same period in 2009. PC shipments in the region hit 18.1 million units.

"Western Europe recovered quicker than expected from the weak performance experienced in 2009. In the first quarter of 2010, the PC market defied the economic conditions as consumers continued to purchase PCs to the detriment of other consumer electronic products," said Ranjit Atwal, principal analyst at Gartner, in a statement.

"With both consumer and professional markets experiencing stronger growth in the first quarter of 2010, we expect the PC market in Western Europe to sustain growth," Atwal added.

In the UK, shipments reached 3.35 million, representing a 14.5 per cent rise. HP held the top spot in the nation, with Dell and Acer in second and third respectively.

"The UK market exhibited the weakest PC growth of the major countries in Western Europe in 2009. Whilst the recovery in the first quarter is positive, it was driven by strong consumer demand. The professional market continued to under perform and saw a double-digit decline," Atwal explained.

Earlier this year, Gartner predicted that PC shipments should climb by almost 20 per cent. In December 2009, its projection for this year was down at 13.3 per cent.