PCs have gotten more expensive over the last quarter, with average selling prices up three per cent to €457.37.

Context Research said that average selling prices across Europe rose in the second quarter, a truly once-in-a-blue-moon event for the PC industry.

The rise as overall volumes of desktops, notebooks and servers grew 10 per cent year on year.

Context said the prices rise was driven by an increase in sales of "higher priced all in one consumer PCs, a resurgence in sales of business-oriented notebooks and a decline in the value of the Euro."

The 10 per cent growth in shipments was down on the 15.7 per cent rate in the first quarter.

"Sequentially, the second quarter drop-off in sales was 4 points greater at 18.3 per cent than 2009. However, the growth during this quarter was double the rate in Q2 2009 which is encouraging for the rest of 2010," commented Context Senior PC Analyst Marie-Christine Pygott.

Inevitably there was an Apple angle to the figures, with sales of tablet PCs up 257 per cent, as people rushed to buy the vendor's big iPhone. desktop and notebook PC shipments were up 9.1 per cent and 9.4 per cent respectively.

Sales of netbooks were up 14.1 per cent, representing a continual slowdown in sales growth. Notebooks grew a modest 4.4 per cent.

UK sales were up 15.6 per cent by units, though this was outstripped by Germany's 36.8 per cent growth rate. Italian shipments grew at 15.6 per cent, French shipments grew 8.1 per cent, Spain 0.2 per cent. Shipments in Demark plunged 20 per cent.

The rise in ASPs would not be totally unexpected for PC stats wonks.

Back in March, Taiwanese PC giant Acer said that PC buyers should expect prices to rise this year, as costs were squeezed upwards by a strengthening dollar and consolidation in the components market. ®