[HP has gotten a boost from newly acquired Compaq, which has had a strong foothold in those areas for years and has maintained a strong local presence in many countries.] HP is more established and has more distribution networks, ... Dell has been in the market less time, and they're focusing on core markets: U.K., Germany, and France. It's working fairly well for them. |
Although growth has declined slightly from the second and third quarters, the market's resilience in the face of rising interest rates, high fuel prices, a weaker Euro, and other potential inhibitors puts the market in a great position to start 2006. |
Although it is clear that consumer demand in the U.S. is weakening, buying in other regions remains strong. PCs remain the dominant means of accessing the Internet, and a lot of people out there are still buying PCs to get online. |
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. |
Dell has a lot of momentum, and they were tough competitors. |
Dell has a very competitive model, |
Despite market concern for consumer spending, fourth quarter demand remained strong with most regions coming in ahead of expectations. |
Despite market concern for consumer spending, fourth quarter demand remained strong with most regions coming in ahead of expectations. Although growth has declined slightly from the second and third quarters, the market's resilience in the face of rising interest rates, high fuel prices, a weaker Euro, and other potential inhibitors puts the market in a great position to start 2006. |
Following the shocks of 2001 and 2002 many people were impressed with the strength of the market in 2004 but cautious about the foundation and longevity of this growth. The fact that solid double-digit growth has continued through 2005 shows that the market recovery did not peak in 2004 as many expected but is still ongoing. |
For any technology, like we've seen with PCs, there are drivers that move the market along. But variations in usage, different economic conditions, and even consumer taste can cause slowdowns as easily as they can spark more purchasing and use. |
Growth remains limited, but at least the market is moving in the right direction again. We believe the market is a lot healthier than it was three months ago, as inventories have come down and expectations for growth are more realistic. |
Hard times persist in the PC market, but vendors are working diligently to stimulate growth and the outlook has started to improve in the United States and Europe. |
HP could have done better. If you look at their growth in the U.S., it was particularly slow. |
HP's being very competitive. There's a chance they could challenge Dell in the fourth quarter, as they have in fourth quarters before. |
Instead of a dramatic effect on PC shipment volume, the delay will probably have a larger impact on PC vendor and Microsoft marketing efforts that will need to be adjusted to fit the release schedule. That will add complexity and cost. |