Acer could threaten Dell, HP in 2007

THERE HAS BEEN much studying of the runes after new analyst reports suggested that HP is stretching away from Dell in global PC sales. But interest in the Tweedledum and Tweedledee of the PC business might not be the most interesting element of the numbers. The more significant trend of them all could be the rise and rise of Acer, and the signs are that that steep progress could well continue into 2007.

As IDC and Gartner agree, HP beat Dell in worldwide PCs shipments for Q4, leaving the firms too close to call for the entirety of 2006. It will certainly be interesting to see what these firms get up to in 2007. Dell would usually fight back now the Christmas season is over but the consumer Vista bonanza will be gravy and upside for HP this year. And of course, both are packing interesting new acquisitions in Alienware and Voodoo respectively.

But while HP and Dell stare each other out, they might also want to take a glance in the rear-view. Not so much at third-placed Lenovo, which made only modest gains in 2006, but a little at fifth-placed Toshiba, up 24.5 percent to nab a 3.3 percent share, and certainly at Acer, up 33.1 percent to have a fourth-placed 5.5 percent stake, according to Gartner numbers for Q4. For the whole of 2006, Tosh was up 27.3 percent and Acer was up 37.1 percent.

IDC's share numbers are very similar to Gartner's and as the company noted, "Acer had another solid quarter with strong gains in all regions. Europe, Middle East and Africa represent roughly 70 percent of Acer's worldwide shipments, and grew by nearly 37 percent in the fourth quarter, but expansion in the United States and Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) also contributed to the company's gains."

In other words, watch out for Acer, the 800-pound gorilla of Taiwan and a company that PC industry insiders have always felt was a potential PC superpower and now finally seems to be coming good.

Acer is certainly pretty bullish about its prospects, having told its supply chain to expect up to 14 million units, according to DigiTimes.

The same source suggests Acer will go direct to US retail behemoth Best Buy for a tie-up to sell notebooks from February. That could generate a 100 percent rise in US sales for the 30-year-old company founded by Stan Shih, and make Acer a contender for a top-three position in global PCs. µ

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