HP OUSTS NO.1 DELL,PC SHIPMENTS UP

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PC Shipments Up, HP Ousts No. 1 Dell

Strong consumer demand, increased notebook sales and falling prices boosted global PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2003, while Hewlett-Packard Co. overtook Dell Inc. for the top spot, market research firms IDC and Gartner Inc. said on Wednesday. While HP benefitted from its strong presence in retail stores during the holiday shopping season, Dell remained the No. 1 global PC maker for all of 2003 based on units shipped, according to Gartner and IDC. During the fourth quarter, the number of PCs shipped increased 15.2 percent year over year, to 44.6 million units, in line with IDC’s forecast, the company said. In 2003, global PC shipments grew 11.4 percent from 2002, to a record 152.6 million PCs, up from 136.9 million in 2002, 134.7 million in 2001 and 140.2 million in 2000, said IDC analyst Roger Kay. According to Gartner’s preliminary figures, global PC shipments totaled 168.9 million units in 2003, up 10.9 percent from 2002. Fourth-quarter shipments totaled 48.4 million, up 12 percent from the fourth quarter of 2002, Gartner said. Meanwhile in other news . . . PC Shipments Reflect Improving Economy Wednesday January 14, 8:13 pm ET By Mark Pratt, Associated Press Writer PC Shipments Reflect Improving Economy; 2003 Showed Double-Digit Growth for First Time Since 2000 Worldwide PC shipments in 2003 showed double- digit growth for the first time since 2000 as consumers took advantage of falling prices and more people bought notebooks, according to preliminary numbers released Wednesday by two research companies. About 152.6 million units were shipped in 2003, an 11.4 percent increase over the previous year, according to Framingham, Mass.-based IDC. Gartner Inc., which uses slightly different measurement methods, calculated that 168.9 million units were shipped in 2003, a 10.9 percent increase over 2002. Yet despite record shipments, top companies are not seeing higher revenue, said Roger Kay, a technology analyst at IDC.

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January 15, 2004 at 9:28 AM