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Technology Stocks : Dell Technologies Inc. -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: William F. Wager, Jr. who wrote (173802)	1/14/2004 8:47:44 PM
From: William F. Wager, Jr.	Respond to of 176387

Global PC Shipments Rise At Fastest Rate in 3 Years By GARY MCWILLIAMS Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL HOUSTON -- Fourth-quarter world-wide personal computer shipments increased at the fastest rate in three years, lifted by strong holiday PC sales and improving business purchases, two research firms reported. Hewlett-Packard Co., benefiting from strong retail demand, recaptured the No. 1 spot world-wide, edging past rival Dell Inc., which had held the top position through the first three quarters last year. Third-ranked International Business Machines Corp. also gained ground. The reports, from market watchers International Data Corp. and Gartner Inc. estimate fourth-quarter shipments rose at an as much as 15% annual rate. Importantly, the results from IBM signaled a pickup in business demand, which has lagged consumer sales. Overall unit gains were enough to lift shipments for the year above 2000's 140 million unit peak. However, the sharp price declines of the last few years left industry revenue at about $176 billion, flat with a year ago, and 22% below 2000's dollar peak, according to Framingham, Mass.-based IDC. IDC found that world-wide shipments rose 15.2% to 44.6 million units in the fourth quarter. Gartner, of Stamford, Conn., pegged world-wide unit growth at 12% and shipments at 48 million units in the quarter. The two companies' results often differ because of the varying methodologies they employ. "It was a good finish to a great year," said IDC computer analyst Roger Kay. "The market picked up in a rather surprising manner mid-year and has been gaining ground ever since." Demand for home-PCs, and especially notebook PCs, surged in late summer as advance income-tax refunds made their way to U.S. homes, and that demand continued into the winter. While notebook PCs gained, the sharpest price declines were also in portable PCs, said Gartner analyst Charles Smulders. At Best Buy Co., Richfield, Minn., the nation's largest electronics retailer, "Our most rapid growth was in PCs" during the Christmas season, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Bradbury H. Anderson said in an interview last week. "Even desktop PCs had strong comparable-store sales gains." In the U.S. market, IDC estimated unit shipments increased 15.4% to 14.6 million units. Dell retained its No. 1 U.S. showing with a 30.2% share of market. H-P was second with 21.7% share, and IBM was third with a 5.4% share, IDC estimated. Gartner also ranked Dell, H-P and IBM as the top three U.S. suppliers. IBM, which exited the retail PC market several years ago, saw its market share gains outstrip the market in the U.S. and world-wide. "IBM is one indicator that the business market is recovering. It should be judged as a positive sign for the industry," said Gartner's Mr. Smulders. Write to Gary McWilliams at gary.mcwilliams@wsj.com Updated January 15, 2004