Technology giant Hewlett-Packard last night said its first-quarter profit surged to $2.3 billion fuelled by sales of personal computers.
Net earnings of 96 cents per share were 25% higher than the 75 cents per share, or $1.9 billion in profit during the same quarter a year earlier.
HP's net revenue for the three months ending January 31 was $31.2 billion, as compared to $28.8 billion in the first fiscal quarter last year.
The California-based company's best performers were personal computers, unit sales of which surged 26%. Sales of business machines and printers also boosted revenue in a quarter that seems to confirm that the market is rebounding.
HP also likely benefited from the release late last year of Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system, which tempted people to upgrade to new computers with the latest software pre-installed.
'HP is well-positioned to outperform the market,' said the US computer giant's chief executive Mark Hurd.
'The strength of our portfolio, leaner cost structure and accelerating market momentum give us the confidence to raise our full-year outlook,' he added.
About 65% of HP sales were outside the US, with combined revenue climbing 41% in Brazil, Russia, India and China to account for 10% of the money taken in by the computer maker.
HP also raised its earning forecast for the fiscal year, saying it expects net earnings of between $3.79 and $3.86 a share on revenues from between $121.5 billion and $122.5 billion.
