The total number of PCs shiped to Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) rose 13.2 per cent in the first quarter of 2007 to reach 19.4 million units.

Notebook computer sales recorded a solid 34.3 per cent year-on-year increase, said an IDC report. However, desktop sales remained flat, the research firm said.

"Notebooks are growing at fast rates in the Middle East, representing twice the volume of desktops in Saudi Arabia, for example," said Eszter Morvay, senior analyst for IDC's EMEA PC Tracker.

Market leaders HP and Acer continued to gain market share with Toshiba, Packard Bell, and Asus also registering strong growth. Dell continued to suffer from slower corporate demand and strong retail competition.

Meanwhile, Global PC sales totalled 62.7 million units in the first quarter of 2007, an 8.9 per cent increase from the same period last year.

"Booming notebook sales across the entire region continued to act as the primary growth driver for most vendors," said Karine Paoli, research director for IDC's Personal Computing group.