PC shipments in Western Europe totalled 20.1 million units in
the fourth quarter of 2008, an increase of 12.1% on the same period
in 2007,
said analyst
Gartner.
"Surprisingly, in the fourth quarter of 2008 Western Europe was
the strongest performing region in Europe, the Middle East and
Africa (EMEA) as both Central Eastern Europe and the Middle East
and Africa were impacted severely by the worsening economic
conditions," said Gartner analyst Ranjit Atwal.
"Mini-notebooks continued to boost growth, reaching nearly 2.5
million in the fourth quarter of 2008, with the telco channel
gathering greater importance as a route to market for the PC
suppliers," he said.
"Whilst growth in PC sales in Western Europe was good, the
underlying trend was down, with the professional market
experiencing a 5% decline in the fourth quarter of 2008. If it was
not for mini-notebooks, the overall Western European market would
be showing a decline. This does not bode well for 2009, as we
expect the general economic conditions to worsen," said Atwal.
Hewlett-Packard was the biggest supplier by shipments overall,
followed by Acer and then Dell. In the UK, Dell pipped Acer to the
number two spot behind HP.