Apple bites a bigger chunk

Gartner UK PC figures reveal Apple and Acer enjoyed strong start to the year, while Dell slumped

Apple has burst into the top five UK computer vendors for the first time, according to research house Gartner.

The Macintosh maker has ousted Fujitsu Siemens from fifth place in Gartner’s standings after growing unit shipments by 6.6 per cent year on year to 143,000 in the first quarter. In contrast, total UK PC shipments fell 5.4 per cent to three million.

Acer was the quarter’s other big winner after a strong mini-notebook performance helped it to increase shipments by 40.6 per cent.

The Taiwanese vendor now boasts a 16.8 per cent market share and is rapidly gaining on number-two outfit Dell, which saw unit shipments slump by 21.7 per cent on an annual comparison. HP held onto the top slot despite seeing shipments fall by 6.8 per cent.

Howard Cole, managing director of Apple Premium Reseller Albion Computers, said Apple is still profiting from the iPhone ‘halo effect’.

“Apple is a fashionable brand,” he said. “People are also cottoning on to the fact its reliability is strong.”

The UK was the weakest major market in western Europe in the first quarter. According to Gartner, unit shipments across the region inched up 0.7 per cent to 15.3 million due to growth in Germany and France.