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The Notebook PC Market: Fourth Quarter 2006 Total notebook shipments were an estimated 536,170 units in the fourth quarter of 2006.  Although, the annual growth rate was the softest of the year – 28% compared to 47% or 42% in earlier quarters - this was a strong time for the mobile computing market.  However due to the, comparatively, late launch of Microsoft’s Vista operating system, some consumers waited to purchase systems. Exhibit 1: Total Notebook PC Shipments by Quarter: Q1 05 – Q4 06   Exhibit 2:  Total Notebook PC Shipment Comparison by Quarter: 2005 - 2006 Total Notebook PC Market Shipment (K) Comparison Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Annual 2005 246.2 277.7 409.4 419.7 1,353.0 2006 360.9 393.4 536.9 536.2 1,827.4 % Change 47% 42% 31% 28% 35% Looking at the vendor breakdown, Acer experienced a stellar quarter, and finished in first place.  HP was another vendor who was able to growth its placement within the vendor ranking.  The most notable difference in the rankings was Dell’s placement as the number three vendor, down from first place in the third quarter.  However, Dell managed an annual increase of its unit volume, as it shipped 22% more notebooks in Q4 06 versus 2005.  Acer’s activity was up 72% and HP’s increase was a remarkable 121%.