Acer Beats Dell for Q3 PC Market Share, Reports iSuppli

Hewlett-Packard still reigns, but Acer topped Dell to become the No. 2 PC maker in the third quarter. It was a first for an Asian OEM ?ö?ç?? and only one of three milestones during the quarter. Amid soaring numbers, Lenovo placed fourth, followed by Toshiba.

In the global PC market, Taiwan's Acer bested Texas-based Dell during the third quarter of 2009. It was the first time an Asian OEM has captured the No. 2  market share position on a quarterly basis, according to research firm iSuppli.  

Acer rose to second from third place, with shipments rising by 31 percent between the second and third quarters, iSuppli reported, while Dell dropped from second to third position. First place again went to Hewlett-Packard, which holds 19.9 percent market share, compared to Acer's now 13.4 percent and Dell's 12.9 percent.  

"Acer's rise to the [No. 2] rank in the global PC business reflects not only its strong performance in the notebook segment, but also the historic rise of Asia as a primary force in the computer industry," wrote Matthew Wilkins, an iSuppli principal analyst, in a Dec. 3. summary.

iSuppli accredits Acer's success to aggressive pricing, strong netbook shipments and robust performances in European and U.S. markets.  

Lenovo, which is based in China, placed fourth, also with a strong quarter. Now holding 8.7 percent market share, it saw 17.2 percent growth between the third quarter and a year earlier - the largest increase during the period by any of the top five OEMs.  

"The third-quarter performances of Acer and Lenovo are just the latest development in the long-term rise of Asian manufacturers in the global PC market," wrote Wilkins.  

Japan-based Toshiba came in fifth place, with a market share of 5 percent and growth of 9.7 percent year-over year.  "These companies have made major strides in the PC market in recent years, with Acer rising from the sixth rank in 2003 and Lenovo advancing from [eighth] position during the same year," Wilkins continued. "The Asian manufacturers are a growing force in the global PC business due to their aggressive pricing along with their ability to quickly react and embrace new developments, such as the netbook PC."  

Additionally, two other milestones were reached during the third quarter: PC unit shipments rose on a year-over-year basis for the first time since the fourth quarter of 2008, and PC shipments increased at the highest sequential rate since iSuppli began tracking the market in 2003, the firm reports.
 
Worldwide PC shipments during the third quarter totaled 79.9 million units - a 19 percent jump from the second quarter - thanks to mobile PCs, iSuppli reported.
 
"Notebook PCs were critical in driving growth on both a sequential or a year-over-year basis," wrote Wilkins. "In fact, during every quarter of the economic downturn - the worst since the Great Depression - notebook PC sales always managed to generate growth compared to the same period a year earlier. This is a testament to the high value that consumers and businesses place on their mobile computing platforms."
 
Given the strong performance of the third quarter, iSuppli has revised its 2009 PC shipment forecast of a 4 percent decline and now expects a decrease of only 0.9 percent.
 
"With the start of the Christmas buying season and the arrival of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows 7 operating system, the fourth quarter is likely to bring more good news for PC makers," wrote Wilkins.
 
Several Acer products, released in time for the holidays, feature Windows 7.