PC Sales- Japan:Brisk & UP, Taiwan:UP,Japan Internet web users -UP
Drew:
and story continues.......
The increase in the number of web users in Japan is particularly heartening considering the fact that DELL could generate more business via the web in Japan. Another point of interest is that though the Asian market remain sluggish the Japanese market shows a marked improvement from the rest as shown by the Q3 numbers,over all the news is good if not excellent.
As for the other thing,you could be right in that the numbers might be a bit skewed on account of the proliferation of 'sub zero' PCs which DELL has no part of.If I get a response I will certainly let you know,it might take a couple of days before I get anything from the company.
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1)Japan PC Sales Remain Brisk in 4th Week of Sept.
October 26, 1998 (TOKYO) --
Sales of personal computers at Japanese shops during the fourth week of September rose more than 50 percent in both units and value over the same week last year.
However, they decreased from those recorded in the previous week this year. The average selling price has increased two weeks in a raw.
PC sales were tabulated at specialty stores of mass merchandisers of home electronics.
According to the data collected by GfK Japan Ltd., an information service company that handles point of sales data from large-volume appliance retailers, sales of personal computers in the fourth week of September (Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 1998) at about 2,000 mass merchandisers of home electronics decreased by 20.8 percent in units and 20.6 percent in value when compared with those of the previous week (See table).
However, when compared with those of the same week last year (Sept. 29 to Oct. 5), sales increased by 53.5 percent in units and 52.2 percent in value. The average selling price increased by 305 yen to 226,407 yen (US$1,951) from 226,102 yen (US$1,949) the previous week.
The seasonal variance toward the year end was blamed for gloomy sales compared with the previous week. Although buyers were making reservations to buy Apple Computer Inc.'s iMac, that product now can be purchased on the spot, because the popularity has passed its peak.
New products, such as peripherals which are compliant with Universal Serial Bus (USB), digital cameras and printers will be put on the market in rapid succession toward the year end. Mass merchandisers must find the best way to make products, including these peripherals, appealing to consumers.
The data GfK Japan releases are from about 2,000 outlets of 41 firms. GfK Japan picked the 41 in 1996, and has been releasing their data since then.
GfK Japan covers a far greater number of outlets with combined unit-base sales accounting for about 10 percent of total domestic PC shipments and about 25 percent of total retail sales.
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2)Number of Web Users in Japan Reaches 7.2 Million
October 26, 1998 (TOKYO) --
The number of users of the World Wide Web in Japan was 7.2 million people nationwide, or 6.8 percent of all people aged 16 or over, at the end of September 1998.
These were the findings of a survey conducted by Nikkei Market Access, a subscriber information service, about trends in information technology.
In the latest survey*1), the number of Web users was 14 percent higher than in the previous survey conducted at the end of March 1998. However, in comparison with the same period a year ago, the rate of growth has slowed. From March to September 1997, the number of Web users increased by as much as 59 percent.
The survey reveals that use of the Web in the home is expanding at a slower pace. In addition to the need for richer content to attract more users, the cost of telecommunication charges for residential users appears to be a major deterrent to widespread use of the Web in Japan.
The number of Internet users*2), including all those who are using either the Web or email services, has reached 11.5 million, or 11.0 percent of the population. The number of people using online services*2), including but not restricted to Internet services, has reached 14 million, or 13.4 percent.
In regard to the access location, 25 percent of users access the Web at home only, 37 percent access the Web outside the home only and 38 percent access the Web both at home and outside the home. That is, the distribution is 63 percent for residential use and 75 percent for non-residential use of the Web.
Compared with the survey six months ago, residential use is down by 3 percentage points, and non-residential use has increased by 12 percentage points, indicating a shift toward use of the Web in workplaces and other locations outside the home.
By age, male respondents were predominantly in their thirties, and the age spread was from early twenties to late forties (see chart 2). Females were mostly in their twenties, and most used the Web at work. Other findings, such as the fact that over 10 percent of previous users no longer use the Web, show that usage in Japan is still a long way from forming a pattern of sustained growth.
The number of people using the Internet for email increased by 27 percent since the March survey, outstripping the rate of growth in the number of Web users. This indicates that email is becoming steadily more popular as a means of communication that people can't do without once they start.
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3)Taiwan Notebook PC Sales Up 46 Pct. in First Half '98
October 26, 1998 (TAIPEI) -- Notebook personal computer sales in Taiwan rose 46 percent to 67,000 units in the first half of 1998 versus the same period last year, when 45,000 units were sold.
Domestic desktop PCs in the first half of 1998 reached 386,000 units, a growth of 21 percent over the 320,000 units in 1997's first half, according to a survey from the Market Intelligence Center (MIC) of Taiwan's Institute for Information Industry (III).
Desktop PCs were directly affected by the generational replacement of processors, so although there was growth in sales, it fell far short of the 26 percent growth during the same period of 1997.
Since new generation processor notebook PCs are being released more slowly, the notebook PC market has been able to avoid the deleterious impact of consumer expectations that prices will fall.
Market demand has also been gradually increasing over the past several years, increasing the proportion of notebook PC sales in the PC market.
Market sales figures of the past three years indicate that in the first half notebook PCs accounted for approximately 11 percent of PC sales. In the first half of 1998 that proportion has risen to almost 15 percent, and the rate of market growth is higher than that for desktop PCs.
MIC/III forecasts that in the second half of 1998, the ratio of notebook PC sales to desktop PC sales will hold at 1:5, which translates into 110,000 units and 560,000 units, respectively.
Source: MIC/III, ITIS, August 1998.
(Nikkei/Japan)
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