Published: Thursday October 15, 2009 MYT 9:44:00 AM
Updated: Monday October 19, 2009 MYT 12:21:22 PM
Worldwide PC shipments gain in Q3
SEATTLE: Worldwide shipments of personal computers edged back up in the third quarter, according to researchers, a promising sign for the industry as it heads into the holiday shopping season.
Last year’s holiday quarter was the worst in about six years, and PC shipments declined in the first half of this year as the recession inhibited spending by consumers and businesses.
On Wednesday, however, analysts at research group IDC said PC shipments from July through September rose 2.3% from the same period of last year, as consumers kept buying the low-cost laptops and tiny netbooks that have been the bright spot in the industry.
The third-quarter uptick should have little impact on holiday bargains because those pricing decisions have already been made, said IDC analyst Bob O’Donnell.
While computer makers may not have been banking on blockbuster sales, they did expect the second half of the year to be better than the first. That could mean fewer bargains for consumers than last year.
However, average PC prices have dropped dramatically in the last few years, which could make deep seasonal discounts less critical.
Hewlett-Packard Co held its spot as the world’s biggest computer maker. Taiwan’s Acer Inc unseated Dell Inc at No 2.
Like HP, Acer is prominent in retail stores, and has done more deals with wireless carriers to subsidise netbooks. Since consumers led the spending in the quarter, HP and Acer benefited while Dell, which is more reliant on corporations, lagged.
But in a statement, Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa cautioned that rising shipments and gains in market share aren’t predictors of financial success because the most popular products among consumers are inexpensive, and less profitable for PC makers. — AP
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