Marie JonesGlobal PC Shipments Continue To Rise
0Overall Score
Worldwide PC shipments continued to rise in the third quarter despite a ‘chorus of negativity’ in the market, and will continue to rise in the fourth quarter, according to market research firm iSuppli Corp.
New figures show global PC shipments expanded by 7 percent sequentially and by 10.3 percent compared to the third quarter in 2009.
Desktop PCs generated the strongest sequential growth, with shipments rising by 11 percent compared to the second quarter, reflecting strong demand in the corporate sector. Notebooks and entry level servers also rose both on a sequential and year-on-year basis.
Worldwide PC shipments in the third quarter amounted to 88.1 million units. This compares to shipments of 82.6 million in the second quarter of 2010 and 79.9 million in the third quarter of 2009.
Matthew Wilkins, principal analyst of compute platforms research for iSuppli, said: “From warnings issued by Taiwanese motherboard makers, to word of declining exports from China, to mounting concerns over consumer spending, there has been a drumbeat of negative news regarding the PC market.
“However, even with consumer confidence shaken by government austerity measures, individuals and businesses continued to purchase PCs in the third quarter, driving up global shipments smartly.”
In contrast, mobile PC shipments rose at more tepid 4 percent sequential growth rate, and up a more impressive 15 percent from a year earlier. Those rates, however, were down from 41 and 42 percent increases in the second and first quarters, respectively, due to consumer confidence issues.