Rising demand for laptops and low-cost portable devices in the EMEA region helped the PC sector as a whole record a 24.5% rise in shipments during the second quarter compared to the same period last year.

According to research firm IDC, laptop shipments rose by a stunning 53% year-on-year even as the number of desktops shipped climbed by just 0.7%.

At the head of the pack, HP saw its laptop shipments increase 60%, contributing strongly to the company’s 30% growth in overall PC units across EMEA. Meanwhile, Dell showed growth of 27% on the back of strong demand from businesses, while Fujitsu Siemens found itself pushed outside of the top five list in EMEA despite maintaining leadership in Germany.

By far the best performances, however, came from laptop specialists Toshiba and Asus. Toshiba posted a 72% rise in shipments, putting it fourth in terms of overall market share, while Asus, vendor of the popular Eee PC, saw shipments soar 164%, giving it fifth place.