Gartner does expect the 25% PC growth in 2001, see below.
Gartner Dataquest Says Third Quarter PC Shipments Slowed as Industry
Waits for Next Upgrade Cycle
Research Shows Signs of Replacement Sales to Begin in 2001
San Jose, Calif., October 23, 2000 - Worldwide personal computer shipments surpassed 33.9 million units in
the third quarter of 2000, an increase of 15.2 percent over the same period last year, according to
preliminary statistics by Dataquest Inc., a unit of Gartner Group, Inc. (NYSE: IT and ITB). With PC saturation
in key U.S. and European segments, many manufacturers are waiting for the next PC upgrade cycle.
"The expectation is that the home market will see some signs of replacement sales in the fourth quarter of
2000, but the corporate upgrade cycle will not gain momentum until 2001," said Charles Smulders, principal
analyst for Gartner Dataquest's Personal Computers Worldwide program. "The potential size of that upgrade
expected in 2001 is significant. There is the potential for a 25 percent increase in professional PC
replacements in 2001 in the United States compared with 2000, even without Windows 2000 as a driver. A
major upgrade cycle in both the European professional and home markets is also expected in 2001." |
