Dell rises to 2nd spot in Japan PC market in Q2

Dell elbowed out Fujitsu in April-June to become the second-largest PC supplier in Japan, research firm IDC said.

Dell is already the world's largest personal computer vendor, but Tokyo-based NEC and Fujitsu have been the largest and second-largest PC suppliers in Japan in recent years.

While Fujitsu put a cap on shipments to reduce channel inventory and stayed away from low-margin deals, Dell used aggressive pricing and advertising campaigns to boost its market share, an IDC report said.

Overall PC shipments in Japan, the world's third-largest personal computer market in unit terms, fell to 3.41 million units in April-June, down 2.3 percent from a year earlier and the first decline in more than three years as the World Cup soccer tournament prompted household spending to go to televisions and other home appliances.

NEC kept a top spot with a 19.6 percent share in April-June, followed by Dell with 16.1 percent and Fujitsu with 15.6 percent.

"It's unclear whether Dell can hold on to the second spot in the third quarter. But in the mid to long term, Dell will likely gain on NEC, helped by its economies of scale as the world's No.1 vendor," IDC senior market analyst Kumi Shingyouchi said.