Compaq leaves Dell in the dust

Dell seems unphased by recent figures that suggest Compaq is wellahead in the server market

Latest figures from research firm Dataquest show that Compaq is still the dominant player in the PC server market in the UK.

For the third quarter of 1996, Compaq's share of the total PC server market stood at 39 per cent, 29.4 per cent ahead of Dell, the company's nearest rival.

The news will come as a blow to Dell, which has said that its latest server product releases will put it in a position where it can chase Compaq for the number one spot in the market.

Compaq has grown its share of the server market throughout 1996. For Q1 it stood at 34.8 per cent, which grew to 37.9 per cent for Q2. Compaq has 65.2 per cent of the mid-range server market, compared with 54.7 per cent for the previous quarter.

A representative of Compaq UK said that the success in the server market was testimony to the vendor's business model. 'Other manufacturers like Dell have made a lot of noise about having Pentium Pro servers in their range.

'Compaq has stayed close to its customers and has brought out new products in a customer-driven manner. This approach is undoubtedly working.'

Pim Dale, Dell director of server business, said he was unconcerned by the figures. 'We have got Compaq in our sites. The 29 point lead is irrelevant - it is growth figures that tell the whole story. Our server sales for Q2 1996 grew by 115 per cent.'

The Compaq source went on to say: 'Dell might aspire to becoming the number one server vendor, but I would point to the huge gap as an indication of the task ahead of them. Compaq will be fighting tooth and nail to maintain this lead.'