PC market strengthens in Western Europe, Gartner says

PC shipments increased in Western Europe by 19.6 percent in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2009, quickly recovering from the economic slowdown, according to analyst Gartner.

Gartner said 15.6 million units were sold for the quarter, with the consumer market outshining the professional segment. The consumer market was led by sales of notebooks and all-in-one PCs. Mini-notebooks or netbook sales grew less than 10 percent for the first time but still comprised 19 percent of mobile PC sales in Europe.

Demand in the professional segment is improving, but Gartner said PC purchases continued to be delayed due to economic conditions and unit price increases.

Acer had the highest number of shipments for the quarter, followed by Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Asus and Toshiba. Other vendors such as Apple, Sony, Samsung and Lenovo weren't in the top five but still recorded 30 percent growth in the quarter, Gartner said.

The U.K. had the weakest growth, but it still measured 15.1 percent compared to the second quarter of 2009. France saw 28.9 percent growth and Germany came in at 22.9 percent compared to the same period a year prior.

Economic conditions in countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece created some uncertainty and volatility in the market but did not soften overall demand, Gartner said.

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