Dell back on road to growth

Direct-selling vendor ships more than 10 million PCs in Q3 as overall market swells 15.5 per cent

Floundering PC giant Dell returned to unit growth in the third quarter of 2007, according to IDC.

The direct vendor, which has been quietly courting the channel following a slump in sales, shipped more than 10 million PCs during the quarter for only the second time in its history.

The research house said Dell, which has recently made a play for the UK distribution channel (CRN, 15 October), saw significant gains in EMEA in the three months ending September, restoring it to overall growth.

Globally, Dell shipped 10.2 million units, up 3.8 per cent annually, although its marketshare slipped from 16.9 per cent to 15.2 per cent.

A strong Euro and rising investment in EMEA pushed overall PC shipment growth rates to their highest level since 2005, IDC said. Overall unit sales clambered 15.5 per cent on an annual comparison.

Loren Loverde, director of IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, said: “The appeal of portable PCs in all regions continues to propel the PC market at a remarkable pace and sets the stage for a very strong fourth quarter.

“Falling costs, aggressive vendor competition, and rising commercial spending in all regions, along with relatively low penetration and rising consumer income in emerging markets, will sustain high growth over the next couple years.”

Top dog HP enjoyed another strong quarter, as unit shipments rocketed 33 per cent to 13.1 million.

Elsewhere, Acer edged closer to third-placed Lenovo after seeing a 59 per cent surge in unit shipments. The Taiwanese vendor, which yesterday announced it had closed its acquisition of Gateway (CRN, 17 October), shipped only 66,000 fewer units than its mainland China-based rival.