Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Charles R who wrote (89192)	1/24/2000 12:40:00 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1578331

PC news for Q4; CPQ number 1 in world and DELL number 1 in US ____________________________________________________________ Technology News Mon, 24 Jan 2000, 12:31pm EST Personal Computer Shipments Rose More-Than-Expected 19% in Fourth Quarter By Jeff Bliss Framingham, Massachusetts, Jan. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Worldwide personal-computer shipments rose a better-than-expected 19 percent in the fourth quarter, as consumers in Asia rushed to buy machines to get on the Internet, a market researcher said. Shipments had been expected to rise 17 percent worldwide, according to International Data Corp. of Framingham, Massachusetts. In preliminary results, U.S. shipments rose 17 percent, topping IDC's forecast for 13 percent growth. Dataquest, another market-research firm, said worldwide shipments increased 17 percent and U.S. shipments rose 15 percent. Dell Computer Corp., the world's largest direct PC seller, beat out Compaq Computer Corp. for the No. 1 position in the U.S. market for the second consecutive quarter. Compaq maintained its worldwide lead. Stronger Asian economies, particularly in Japan, fueled sales among consumers. ``The Asian market is finally back 100 percent,' said John Brown, an IDC analyst. ``You've got to be there to succeed as a global player.' With their economies no longer teetering on bankruptcy, consumers in Asia returned to buying computers at a clip not seen in several years. Even Year 2000 concerns, which slowed the U.S. corporate computer market, failed to deter Asian consumers. ``Driving demand was a rise in Internet awareness and low prices,' said Charles Smulders, an analyst at San Jose, California-based Dataquest. Global Market Compaq shipped 4.6 million PCs in the fourth quarter, capturing 14 percent of the worldwide market, compared with second-place Dell's 10 percent, IDC said. International Business Machines Corp. came in third worldwide with a 7.6 share, while fourth-place Hewlett-Packard Co. had 7.5 percent. The joint venture between Fujitsu Ltd. and Siemens AG was fifth with a 5.2 percent market share. Round Rock, Texas-based Dell held off Compaq in the U.S., accounting for 17 percent of the market in the fourth quarter. Compaq garnered a 16 percent share. Compaq struggled to copy Dell's success by selling more computers directly to consumers. The plan is a big switch in strategy for Houston-based Compaq, which became the largest PC maker by selling computers predominantly through dealers, retailers and distributors. ``Dell is definitely at the point where they're in charge,' IDC's Brown said. Hewlett-Packard's Growth Hewlett-Packard's fourth-quarter shipment growth outpaced most of its rivals both in the U.S. and worldwide. Its U.S. shipments rose 64 percent from the year-ago quarter, while global shipments surged 49 percent, IDC said. Hewlett-Packard captured 10.2 of the U.S. market in the quarter, while Gateway had 9.2 percent. IBM, which started to shut down sales to U.S. retailers to sell online, had a 5.5 percent share. U.S. consumer demand, which was sparked by price cuts made earlier in the year by major PC makers to compete with ``free' PCs and rebates, remained brisk in the fourth quarter. ``People are still buying although they bought a lot in the first half,' Brown said. U.S. and Japanese corporate customers, which delayed PC purchases in the fourth quarter to test for Year 2000 bugs, will increase buying early this year. ``We're expecting a pretty healthy performance of the (PC) market in the first half,' Brown said. Dataquest expects worldwide shipment growth rates to slow to 18 percent this year, a drop from 1999's 22 percent. ¸2000 Bloomberg L.P. All rights reserved. Terms of Service, Privacy