PC shipmentsin Western Europe grew
17.7% in the third quarter, said analyst Gartner, but the UK market
was weaker than other countries.
The analyst said third quarter PC shipments totalled 13.8
million units, a 17.7% increase on the same quarter last year.
The Western European market grew faster than expected as the
consumer market saw another strong quarter driven by multiple "back
to school" marketing initiatives, and aggressive price promotions
across all countries, said Gartner.
But Gartner said the UK market was weaker than other countries,
"as excess retail inventory from over-forecasted
Vista shipments hindered new shipments growth".
In addition, PC sales in the retail market have slowed down
showing the first signs of the impact of economic uncertainty, said
the analyst.
Hewlett-Packard has become the number one PC supplier in the UK
for the first time in four years. Its strong performance in the
consumer market, combined with Dell's very weak performance in the
consumer market, allowed HP to gain the leading position, said
Gartner.
"HP and Dell control more than 45% of the UK market, and with
mobile growth remaining strong, HP could extend its market share in
the fourth quarter of 2007," said Ranjit Atwal, an analyst at
Gartner.