World fourth-quarter PC shipments rebound - surveys
By Eric Auchard
NEW YORK, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Worldwide personal computer
shipments picked up their pace in the fourth-quarter to grow 15
percent versus the fourth-quarter a year-ago, salvaging a year
that began with an inventory glut and struggled with economic
turmoil in many emerging markets, market researchers said.
By contrast, worldwide PC market shipments rose 12 percent
for the 1998 year as a whole compared to 1997, according to
survey data to be released on Friday by market researcher firm
International Data Corp. (IDC) of Framingham, Mass.
Fourth quarter results were fueled by traditional holiday
consumer buying and heavy Internet demand in the United States
and Europe, found the IDC report, and a second, separate survey
by research firm Dataquest, also to be released Friday.
Compaq Computer Corp . remained the No. 1 PC
supplier, both in the world and in the United States, while
International Business Machines Corp . (IBM) clung to
the No. 2 world rank despite rapid gains by fast-growing Dell
Computer Corp . At its torrid pace, Dell could soon
overtake PC pioneer IBM in the No. 2 spot worldwide, IDC's data
showed.
For the full year, worldwide PC factory shipments totaled
90 million, with Compaq accounting for 13.2 million of the PC
units, IDC said.
"It was a big fourth quarter, with 27 million units shipped
worldwide," said John Brown, manager of IDC's PC market
research group. "We'd originally forecast 12 percent growth,
but a surge in the U.S. and Europe propelled year-to-year
growth in the fourth quarter to 15 percent," he said.
In the United States, Compaq's market share dropped
slightly to 18.1 percent from the 19 percent share it held in
fourth quarter 1997, while Dell sustained its momentum, rising
to a 12.8 percent share from 9.9 percent a year-ago.
Gateway edged ahead of IBM to take No. 3 spot in
the United States, both with 9.1 percent of the market, while
Hewlett-Packard Co . was No. 5 with 7.2 percent.
Underlying the shifting market were sharply contrasting
growth rates, as Compaq grew between 16 and 17 percent both in
the U.S. and worldwide from fourth quarter to fourth quarter,
while Dell gained 56 percent in the same timeframe.
Such figures tell only a partial story, since industry
researchers track shipments and not revenues. While shipments
continue to grow in healthy double-digits, tumbling computer
prices have cut into revenue growth, not to mention
profitability for some struggling computer makers.
Still, healthy market share gains were posted by the
world's top brands, with the top four -- Compaq, IBM, Dell and
H-P, in that order -- accounting for 42.5 percent of all PCs
shipped.
The exception was No. 5 Packard Bell NEC <6701.T>, which
has continued to see its position slide as year-to-year growth
slipped 3 percent. Its worldwide market share stands only a
fraction of a percent ahead of fast-growing No. 6 PC maker
Gateway Inc, according to Dataquest.
U.S. fourth-quarter unit shipments grew 21 percent, versus
forecasted growth of 18 percent, amid a surge in demand for
Internet connections at home and sharply falling PC prices, IDC
said. Western Europe grew 19 percent.
The United States and European PC markets accounted for
nearly 65 percent of 1998 PC shipments, Dataquest estimated.
"It appears that over half of U.S. households now have a
PC," Dataquest analyst Bill Schaub said, adding that his firm's
surveys show that up to 37 percent of the U.S. now has an
Internet connection. "Interest in the Internet is driving a lot
of demand in the home market."
Japan's growth was flat and Asia's was slightly negative,
while Eastern European PC shipments fell about 20 percent
year-to-year, IDC's Brown said.
In a statement, Compaq focused on its sequential gains in
the fourth-quarter versus the third-quarter of 1998.
Compaq's global market share grew to 15.4 percent, up from
the third quarter's 14.4 percent. Compaq's U.S. market share
grew to 18.1 percent from 15.8 percent in the third-quarter,
while Dell's share slipped to 12.8 percent from 14.1 percent.
Compaq's gains reflect its strength as the leading supplier
of consumer PCs during the seasonally strong holiday sales
season, and Dell's minor role in the consumer market compared
to its focus on the corporate market, analysts said.
Schaub said it was more meaningful to compare fourth
quarter results with the year-ago fourth quarter, which
eliminates some of seasonal differences.
"Compaq gets an extra consumer bump that Dell doesn't get
in the fourth quarter but don't let that obscure the fact that
Dell is basically right on their tail," Dataquest's Schaub
said. |
