Worldwide sales, according to the market research firm, increased by 9.1% year-over-year, thanks to a 13.5% increase in shipments outside the U.S. The preliminary shipment estimate indicated weak demand in the U.S. was felt "slightly more in the commercial segment than in the consumer segment," which IDC believes is a sign that factors other than the release of Vista affected the market in Q3.
"The slower growth reflects a mix of poor vendor performance in the third quarter and a slower pace of replacements," IDC wrote. The pullback was significant enough to prompt the firm to revise its sales estimate for the next three quarters as well as the 2006 forecast. IDC now believes that 2006 PC sale sin the U.S. will reach about 66.1 million units, about 3.5% more than in 2005 (63.9 million). Worldwide units are expected to touch 229.4 million, up 10.4% from 207.8 million last year.
PC sales growth slowed down in Q3 2006
Posted on Monday, December 25 2006 @ 17:20 CET by Thomas De MaesschalckIDC reports PC sales growth has slowed during the third quarter. Poor vendor performance and slower pace of replacements are to blame, they believe.
