Acer Hops Over Dell for Worldwide PC Shipments

Dude, Dell got beaten by Acer in worldwide PC shipments last quarter, according to research firm Gartner. Thanks to 23.6 percent growth since the same quarter last year, Acer slid into second place with 12.5 million PCs shipped. Dell, on the other hand, saw a 6.7 percent decline in sales since 2008, falling to 10.3 million shipments last quarter. HP remains on top with 16.1 million, but its 9 percent growth pales in comparison to that of Acer. At this rate, could the Taiwanese manufacturer catch up?

Probably not, but it really depends on how netbooks and ultra low voltage notebooks fare from here on. Acer was one of the first companies to jump on the netbook craze, and I’m sure the explosive growth in the mini-notebook category propelled Acer’s shipments. Similarly, Acer has been quick to build notebooks using Intel’s new ultra low voltage chips, which are more powerful then netbooks and but less capable than dual core processors. That’s reflected in the price, which hovers around $500 to $600.

Dell sells a netbook, but it otherwise continues to focus on dual core notebooks, hoping that the economy will level off and people will return to spending at least $700 on a new laptop. Whether the company can regain its position depends on whether enough consumers believe they need all that power. [BusinessWire via Engadget]