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Among major manufacturers, Compaq Computer Corp. vaulted to the top of the list of resellers' best-selling desktop PCs, according to the monthly CRN poll for August.
While private-label or in-house brands remained the overall best sellers, with a 38 percent share of 220 reseller votes, Compaq received a 9 percent share, its highest since April. The Houston-based company edged out Acer America Corp., San Jose, Calif., with 8 percent, and Apple Computer Inc., Cupertino, Calif., which took 6 percent.
Compaq regained the position it had held until May, when Apple took over the top spot. Acer had claimed the No. 1 position from Apple in July.
"Compaq has improved its marketing strategy and become more service-oriented," said Jeff Ragland, co-director of Pragmatik Resources Inc., a reseller in Houston. "Their aggressive pricing moves have also been a plus for them."
Apple, in contrast, is suffering from another marketing glitch.
"Apple has released a whole series of new systems, but no graphics cards are available for them," said Jerry Robinson, owner of JPR Engineering, a reseller in Marina del Rey, Calif. "I have $100,000 in backorders sitting and waiting for these cards. And this isn't the first time this has happened."
Compaq also topped the list of desktop systems in short supply, cited by 27 percent of resellers. The data show that over the past several months the number of resellers reporting shortages of Compaq...