January 19, 2004

News Factor: HP Leads Dell in PC Sales

My spin: Truthfully, who leads who in PC Sales does not matter that much (when it's razor thin). However, I guess it is bragging rights for the "leading" company. What really matters, however, to you and me, is what PC we buy. You should KNOW your brands. There's not a great difference in the PC's amongst the top brands, but I personally buy Dell. I like the design of their computers and that I can see all my past purchases online.

Hewlett Packard just barely edged out arch-rival Dell to take the lead in the global fourth quarter PC market, according to research firm IDC. Industry trend watchers report that the fourth quarter -- and 2003 overall -- was a stronger than expected period for PC sales.
HP's success was aided by a the strong euro, as HP is a leader in the European market. Dell was at a seasonal disadvantage; its greatest strength is its online channel, and it usually loses sales to in-store competitors during the holiday buying rush.

HP enjoyed a global fourth-quarter market share of 16.9 percent, in contrast to Dell's 16.3 percent share. Although HP also saw a larger sales increase in year-over-year global fourth quarter sales than Dell -- up 21.7 percent vs. 19.7 percent -- Dell remained the leader for the year. (full story)

0 comments