Worldwide PC shipments increased by more than 17% in the third quarter despite rising interest rates and oil prices, and a more conservative economic outlook, according to IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. The appeal of both low-cost and portable systems continued to drive substantial growth. International markets continued to grow quickly, but even U.S. shipments grew by 11% over the prior year. The latest data show total worldwide PC shipments increasing by 17.1% year on year versus an August forecast of 13.3%.
“We continue to see remarkable growth in the PC market and relative independence from broader economic trends,” said Loren Loverde, director of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker in the press release. “Currently, the economic environment is not the critical factor affecting PC adoption cycles. What we’re seeing now is a combination of PC replacements and new users responding to low-price milestones. Slowing economic growth should eventually constrain PC demand, but for the moment, the outlook remains quite strong.”
“Notebook adoption continued to drive PC growth in the U.S. complemented by the desktop market which was stronger than expected due to aggressive pricing,” said Richard Shim, senior research analyst of Client Computing at IDC in the press release. “The third quarter is typically defined by the back-to-school season, which was particularly strong this year. Notebooks were a significant influence in the consumers’ back-to-school shopping and that carried over to other markets.”
Apple cranked up its performance another notch, boosting growth in total PC shipments by 48%. The company refreshed the Mac mini line and its PC business continues to benefit from the rapid growth of its music business. Growth was particularly strong in its retail outlets and in Europe, although growth in the Americas and Japan was also healthy.
Full release with charts showing Apple’s Mac with 4.3% U.S. market share for 3rd quarter 2005, up from 3.3% in 3rd quarter 2004 here.
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Related article:
IDC: Apple gains U.S. market share at double overall market rate, up to 4.5 percent for Q2 2005 – July 18, 2005
