According to IDC's data, Acer grew by 48% year-on-year in the SA notebook market to secure a market share of around 23%, and become the largest supplier of notebooks by unit shipments. Acer previously held the number two position.

In the combined desktop notebook market, Acer showed a year-on-year growth of 53%, and moved from fourth place to third. Acer SA held about 10% market share in the combined notebook and PC market for Q2 2006.

Says David Drummond, country manager at Acer SA: "The steady growth we have experienced has validated our channel strategy, as well as our continued investment in the local market. We have invested heavily in building our brand in SA, marketing our products and backing them up with strong support, which has translated into robust growth.

"In addition, we have continued our policy of being first with new technology, giving customers and resellers a choice of easy-to-use and reliable offerings that match every need. Our close relationships with partners such as distributors, Axiz and Tarsus, and retailer, the Connection Group, have also played an instrumental role in our success.

"Acer SA has enjoyed a strong growth in market share since we shifted towards a 100% indirect business model some five years ago, Drummond adds. This model has allowed us to focus on channel development, marketing, support and customer service while entrusting configuration, installation, sales, logistics and other elements of the value chain to our best-of-breed business partners, who have the expertise and economies of scale to do them best."