More than two million PCs were shipped in the UK in the second quarter of this year, an increase of eight per cent compared with the same period in 2006, with the demand for mobile PCs the major driver of sales, according to the latest figures from analyst Gartner .

Dell showed a decline of seven per cent year-on-year, while the other four leading vendors – Acer, HP and Toshiba - grew well above the market average. Acer achieved the strongest growth rate thanks to the expansion of its channel distribution in retail and a partnership with DSG, owner of Dixons, Currys and PC World.

The last quarter saw aggressive pricing wars in the market, with some vendors marketing laptop PCs as cheap as £299 each. Some broadband providers have even started offering free PCs bundled with long-term line rental packages.

'The recent announcements on new subsidised PC selling strategies, which included the cost of notebook PCs being subsidised by broadband providers, will further boost PC penetration in the UK market,' said Ranjit Atwal, principal analyst for Gartner.