Desktop PC and laptop manufacturer Acer outpaced Dell in 4th-quarter 2006 PC sales in the EMEA (Europe, Middle-East and Africa) market, according to the latest figures released by research firm IDC, pushing Dell into third place.

According to IDC, Acer's growth was fueled by competitive desktop offerings combined with continued strong laptop sales. Acer held its position as leading laptop vendor, but saw strong competition from Hewlett-Packard (HP), which expanded sales by 62 percent during the quarter.

HP took Dell's position in Q3 2006, and is currently the leader in the global PC market.