Singapore: Computer makers are experiencing a bull run in Asia with PC sales climbing 19 percent in the first quarter of the year, research firm IDC said Thursday.

Computer shipments in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan soared to 17 million units in the first three months, helped largely by strong notebook purchases.

Nearly all Asian countries posted double-digit growth rates in the portable PC segment compared with the fourth quarter of 2007, said the IDC data reported in The Business Times, exceeding forecasts in China and many South-East Asian countries.

"Despite concerns about the US economic slowdown rippling through to other parts of the world, the PC market in Asia continued to steam ahead in the first quarter," Bryan Ma, director of Asia-Pacific personal systems research, was quoted as saying.

While he warned that any further belt-tightening in the US may negatively impact a number of export-dependent markets in the region later this year, IDC currently believes the Asia-Pacific PC market is on track for 17 percent growth in 2008.

Computer maker Lenova continued to be at the top with a regional market share of 16.4 percent, due to its dominance in China.

Hewlett-packard emerged second with a 15.1-per-cent market share.