By silicon.com, 9 December 1998 13:52
NEWS IDC's latest report on PC sales in the Asia Pacific region (excluding Japan) have shown a smaller than expected decline in the third quarter of this year. IDC's original estimate for the region was for a 3.1 per cent decline in sales compared to the same period last year, but the actual results show only a 2.3 per cent drop. Total PC shipments stood at 2.56 million units. Brian Kornegay, research manager at IDC Asia Pacific, said: "After one year of turmoil, the regional PC market is showing some signs of life as we look toward 1999. While we are not ready to proclaim a fully-fledged recovery, the worst could be behind the regional PC market as a degree of stability returns to the region." Compaq again topped the region's vendor rankings, with 8.6 per cent market share, followed by IBM in second place. In contrast with Compaq, which saw sales volume drop as it adjusted to its Digital acquisition, IBM increased market share and outpaced industry growth. Legend ousted US giant Hewlett Packard (HP) as the third largest vendor in the region. The volume of PC sales in Indonesia nose-dived by 82 per cent after the market was disrupted by political and social instability. Thailand, Korea and Malaysia all recorded downturns in their annual shipments of 44 per cent, 35 per cent and 27 per cent respectively. Reflecting the fragmented nature of the region's PC market, sales in India and China increased, with PC sales in China rising by 28 per cent over the previous year. In India, annual shipments grew by 24 per cent. According to IDC much of the expansion in the Indian market is being supported by growth in home and small businesses. Looking forward to Q4, IDC expects the upturn to translate into an increase of 5 per cent in PC sales, compared to the same period in 1997. In 1999 IDC is predicting a 16 per cent jump in Asia Pacific PC sales over 1998. It claims stronger, more stable regional currencies and buoyant stock markets will drive the revival.
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