Monday, January 6, 2003
The outlook of the PC sales in the new year is still grim. The amount of retail PCs sold over the 2002 holidays dipped from an already dismal 2001, with desktop computers sliding 15 percent to 20 percent, according to preliminary estimates from research firm NPDTechworld.
"Last year was a first-quarter meltdown, but we did retain a certain amount of demand and did burn off the inventory," said Rob Enderle, an analyst for Giga Information Group. "The ability to spend is declining this year, so we may take a little longer to reach the point of reducing leftover holiday inventory."
The biggest PC seller, Dell Computer Corp., has predicted fourth-quarter revenue of $9.7 billion, about 20 percent higher than last year.
Hewlett-Packard Co., has predicted sales of $18.4 billion in the quarter ending this month, a modest increase over the previous quarter. And Gateway Inc. chief executive Ted Waitt told investors last month that the desktop PC was dragging down his firm's fourth-quarter numbers.
There were bright spots. Notebook computers continued to gain popularity as their prices fell, with retail sales units rising 10 percent to 15 percent, according to NPDTechworld's preliminary figures.
Peripheral devices, such as digital cameras and wireless networking equipment, have moved briskly, too.
By: DocMemory
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