Acer, ASUS Rise to First, Fourth Positions in Western Europe PC Market, Research Firm Says

TAIPEI, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Taiwan PC Makers Lead Growth; ASUS Nearly Doubles Market Share in First Quarter of 2010, According to Research Firm Gartner

“Western Europe recovered quicker than expected from the weak performance experienced in 2009.”

Taiwan personal computer brands Acer and ASUS have risen to take the No. 1 and No. 4 shares of the Western European PC market during the first quarter of 2010, according to U.S. market research firm Gartner.

The two Taiwan companies were the only ones among the top-five in the rankings to increase market share on the strength of strong consumer demand, Gartner said in a May 17 report. Acer last year became the second-ranked PC maker worldwide, trailing Hewlett-Packard.

ASUS had the fastest growth of any of the top-five PC brands, nearly doubling its share of the Western European market to 7.9 percent in the first quarter of 2010 from 4.8 percent in the same period a year earlier, Gartner said.

“In the first quarter of 2010, the PC market defied the economic conditions as consumers continued to purchase PCs to the detriment of other consumer electronic products,” said Ranjit Atwal, principal analyst at Gartner. “Western Europe recovered quicker than expected from the weak performance experienced in 2009.”

The battle for first position continued. Acer moved to the No. 1 position with 23.4 per cent market share in the first quarter of 2010, Gartner said. Acer continued to show strong growth in the consumer market with all-in-one PCs supporting mobile and netbook growth, according to Gartner.

Taiwan companies made the world’s first netbooks about two years ago to help make computers affordable to a wider range of people. Netbook shipments will increase this year to 34.5 million units and nearly double to 58.3 million units by 2014, according to market research firm iSuppli, which defines a netbook as a notebook computer with a screen smaller than 10.2 inches that sells for about US$500.

Taiwan’s personal computer industry saw revenues soar by 53% in the first quarter this year, nearly doubling global sales growth as Taiwan’s PC makers boosted their share of the world market.

Taiwan’s largest PC companies include Acer Inc., the world’s second-largest computer maker, as well as growing brands such as ASUS and MSI. Asustek Computer, which owns the ASUS brand, led the three companies’ sales growth with a 85% jump in revenues to NT$74.8 billion (US$2.4 billion) during the first quarter this year. ASUS became the fifth-largest global PC brand during the first quarter, according to Gartner.

Taiwan has won a reputation as one of the world’s leading producers of low-cost, high-quality electronic goods. Taiwanese companies make nearly three quarters of the world’s personal computers and about half of the world’s liquid crystal displays.

In recent years, more of these companies have emerged from contract manufacturing to build their own brands. Together, the branded companies and contract manufacturers form a very efficient production chain that responds quickly to market demand and provides excellent value to consumers.

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Acer Inc.
http://global.acer.com/

Asustek Computer Inc.
www.asus.com

Gigabyte Technology
http://www.gigabyte.com.tw/

Micro-Star International
http://www.msi.com/index.php

Please visit www.taiwantrade.org.tw or www.brandingtaiwan.org for more information.

Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA)

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) was founded in 1970 to promote Taiwan’s foreign trade and competitiveness in world markets. Over the past 38 years, TAITRA has played a key role in the development of the Taiwan economy. TAITRA is jointly sponsored by the government and commercial associations and is viewed by all as the business gateway to Taiwan for the international business community.

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