Acer today reported a better than expected rise in second quarter profits after increasing its market share in Europe and Asia.

Net profit was up 47 per cent to NT$2.92bn ($95m), or NT$1.17 a share, from NT$1.98bn, or 76 cents, a year earlier. Analysts had forecast NT$2.62bn for the company's Q2.

The Taiwanese computer maker saw total revenues climb 34 per cent compared to the same quarter a year ago to NT$124.8bn.

Acer bought US computer maker Gateway Inc last autumn, and prior to that it scooped up Europe’s Packard-Bell BV. Since then the firm has been beefing up its market share with big gains in Asia and Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

However, according to a recent IDC report it fared less well in the choppy US market.

The company today also repeated its earlier laptop shipments projection for 2008, saying they will grow more than 40 per cent for the year.®