Notebook PCs Outsell Desktops For First Time
Analysts say more notebook PCs were sold globally than desktop PCs for the third quarter of 2008, according to iSuppli.
Notebook PC sales spiked 40 percent to 38.6 million computers sold, compared to the third-quarter of 2007.
For the desktop PC market, sales shrank 1.3 percent to 38.5 million units sold, compared to the same time frame last year.
Matthew Wilkins, principal analyst for computer platforms at iSuppli, said momentum has been building in the notebook market for some time. Â
“So it’s not a complete surprise that shipments have surpassed those of desktops," he said.
Still, he said it is a major event in the PC market because it marks the start of the age of the notebook.
Worldwide PC shipments grew 15.4 percent over Q3 2007, settling at 79 million computers shipped. Hewlett-Packard took top billing with its 18.8 market share, translating to roughly 14.9 computers shipped, 3.9 million more than second-place rival Dell.
Acer showed the most momentum, however, managing to sell three million more notebooks in the third quarter than in the second””mostly from its new netbook line of products. The upswing represents a growth rate of 45 percent over second-quarter sales, and 79 percent compared to the third quarter of 2007.
Acer has been aggressively marketing its netbooks for the holiday season, which could help the company see dramatic returns for the fourth quarter as well.
iSuppli is modifying its 2008 forecasted growth rate from 12.5 to 13 percent, since third-quarter PC returns came in a little higher than expected.
The company expects PC sales to grow 4.3 percent in 2009.
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