PCs increasing household penetration, higher-end machines in greater demand (thanks to Mohan Marette)
Message 5875036
cnnfn.com
Source:From Cnnfn
PC Growth Steady In US Households - Study
September 29, 1998: 2:44 p.m. ET
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, U.S.A. (NB) -- By Craig Menefee, Newsbytes.
Market researcher Odyssey's latest Homefront study has found that 45 percent of US
households now have PCs, compared with 42 percent six months ago. The percentage
of first-time buyers has declined steadily during the same period, the firm says.
According to the study, 27 percent of US households with a family member who
bought a PC in the past six months were first-time purchasers, compared to 32
percent a year ago. Those figures compare to about half of all PC purchases in
July, 1995.
Remarked Nick Donatiello, president of Osyssey, "Now they're just over a quarter. The
sub-$1,000 PC has not reversed this trend in the way that so many in the industry were
expecting."
One reason, Donatiello says, may be that the lowest price doesn't count as much
with many consumers as not buying a machine that will become obsolete in a few
years.
"There's a lot of evidence throughout Odyssey's studies that consumers are
very interested in powerful PCs," Donatiello say. "It's not surprising that the
'build 'em weak, sell 'em cheap' strategy isn't taking consumers by storm."....... (more)
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