PC shipments grew 22%; more growth forecast for 2000

By Staff -- Purchasing, 3/23/2000

Worldwide shipments of personal computers increased nearly 22% to 113.5 million units in 1999, according to market researcher Dataquest. "There had been concerns that Y2K shutdowns in large businesses, government and education segments would slow growth in the market in the second half of 1999, but the numbers indicate Y2K had only limited impact on overall growth in the PC industry," says Charles Smulders, principal analyst for Dataquest's Personal Computers Worldwide program. "Our research shows Y2K impacted the PC industry by slowing market growth by approximately 2% in the fourth quarter."

Compaq maintained the No. 1 ranking worldwide, with market share above 13%. Dell posted the strongest growth rates among top-tier vendors, both worldwide and in the United States, with a growth rate that exceeded 50%. Dell became the largest PC manufacturer in the U.S., surpassing Compaq.

Dataquest expects worldwide and U.S. market growth rates will slow by about four percentage points compared to 1999. "Much will depend on the industry's success in convincing their customers to replace PCs more frequently," says Smulders. "Key factors will be the industry's ability to bring smaller, less complex, cheaper products to the business market and industrially designed products to the home."