Worldwide PC sales jumped in Q1
Robust growth, particularly in the U.S., was unexpected
REUTERS
SAN FRANCISCO April 25 — Worldwide shipments of personal computers rose a better-than-expected 17 to 19 percent in the first quarter, fueled by a recovery in Asia and unexpected strength in the consumer market, according to two leading research firms.
ACCORDING TO International Data Corp., worldwide unit shipments rose 19 percent in the first quarter, with the United States leading the way with a stunning 24 percent unit growth.
Gartner Group's Dataquest Inc., which does not include PC servers in its data, said unit shipments grew 17 percent worldwide in the first quarter.
“It's better than you usually expect for the first quarter,” said Christine Arrington, an analyst at IDC, a market research firm based in Framingham, Mass. “Coming off the fourth quarter (which is typically strongest), you expect the consumer market to die down a little bit”
Continued health in Europe was also a factor and Asia-Pacific, especially Japan's consumer market, showed strong growth despite prolonged economic weakness in the region.
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