Global PC shipments up 27% in Q1

The shipment of personal computer globally increased by 27.4 per cent to 84.3 million units in the first three months of 2010, according to preliminary results by IT research and advisory firm Gartner Inc.

The first quarter results have exceeded earlier market outlook of Gartner, which was expecting a 22 per cent growth.

"The stronger-than-expected growth was led by a robust recovery in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) PC market, which grew 24.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2010," principal analyst Mikako Kitagawa at Gartner said.

"All other regions recorded double-digit growth rates, although the US and Latin America were slightly lower than what we had expected," he said. HP continued to be the leader in worldwide PC shipment, but its growth was below the global average in the first quarter of 2010.

Acer had strong shipment growth across all regions. The firm's business model allows it to meet price points that other vendors find difficult to match, Gartner said. Dell achieved year-over-year growth above 20 per cent for the first time in two years.

Lenovo's PC shipments increased 59.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2010. ASUS joined the global top five ranking for the first time, sharing the position with Toshiba. During the period, ASUS's PC shipment increased by 114.8 per cent.