NP Rank:
Netbooks a temporary Band-aid on PC industry
Despite the volatile economy, the PC industry overall appears on the surface to be doing fine thanks to the influx of cheap, underpowered notebooks.
Overall, worldwide PC shipments rose to 80.6 million units during the third quarter this year, a 15 percent increase over the same quarter a year ago, according to a new quarterly report issued Tuesday by research firm Gartner. In the U.S. however, the picture is not so rosy.
PC sales grew at a dismal rate of 4.8 percent. That's not good for a quarter usually lifted by back-to-school sales of computers. And even though prices on mainstream laptops and desktops continued to drop, it wasn't enough to lure in as many consumers as retailers had hoped
Perhaps because of consumers' economic worries, a lot of sub-$500 computers sold in the third quarter. Whether it's a new worldwide Netbook market that's being created, or they're cannibalizing cheap laptops, isn't quite clear yet, according to Gartner PC analyst Mika Kitagawa.
Either way, PC sales in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa grew five times faster than in the U.S. to reach 28.8 million units in the third quarter.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (3)
at 15:56 on October 15th, 2008
RayBanBro66, I like this story. It's good stuff.
at 16:11 on October 15th, 2008
Thanx for flag Jeff
at 07:16 on October 16th, 2008
RayBanBro66, I like this story. PC sales 5% up; makes me thinking , demand creates business also during crisis. What you think of the new $250 linux portables, many in Europe want ot buy, but not for $500.