Worldwide PC sales to rocket in Q3

Consumer, Asian and portable markets to boom

By Linda Harrison in New York • Get more from this author

Posted in Business, 8th September 2000 10:42 GMT

Free whitepaper – Total cost of ownership of Dell, HP and IBM blade solutions

Worldwide PC shipments are due to rise 18.5 per cent this quarter, with Asia Pacific leading the way, according to IDC.

Sales will reach 33.4 million units - an 18.5 per cent year-on-year increase, and 10.1 per cent jump on Q2.

Asia Pacific and Japan are expected to come up trumps in Q3 - with year-on-year growth of 36 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively. This will largely be driven by healthy sales of consumer desktop and portables, while Japan will thrive on consumer PCs along with continuing recovery in business PC sales.

The US is forecast to ship almost 13 million units, representing 10.6 per cent year-on-year and 13.4 per cent sequential growth. Here the market is expected to improve in both consumer and business PCs after a sleepy first half of the year.

Western Europe is expected to drag its heels, with just 14.5 per cent year-on-year and 7.5 per cent sequential growth. Internet demand and retail offers will drive the market, and the business PC sector is also expected to show some recovery.

Vendors with the best chance this quarter will be in the consumer, Asian and portable markets, with Compaq, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Gateway in the best position globally, IDC reported.

In Q2 Dell was the top ranking vendor for volume sales in the US with almost 2.3 million - giving it more than 20 per cent of this market. This compared to 16.6 per cent the previous year. Compaq's shipments dropped in the US to 1.7 million from 1.8 million, giving it 14.8 per cent market share for Q3 2000. HP saw sales soar by 45 per cent to 1.2 million, with 10.7 per cent market share, Gateway 964,000 and 8.4 per cent of the market, with IBM down 18.6 per cent to 713,000 shipments and 6.2 per cent.

More than 30 million PCs were shipped worldwide in Q2, with Compaq flogging the most PCs. Sales rose 6.8 per cent to four million for Big Q, letting it hang onto 13 per cent of the market - one per cent less than the previous year. Dell's shipments were up 22 per cent to 3.5 million, or 11 per cent of the sector. They were followed by HP, IBM and Fujitsu-Siemens. ®