European Home PC Market Up 57 Percent

First quarter shipments of PCs to European home users
are up by 57 percent over the same period
last year, according to the GartnerGroup’s
Dataquest unit.

By contrast, the professional segment in Europe grew by only
9 percent.

“Ever lower
prices, the allure of the Internet, and new cost-saving
channels, as well as innovative marketing promotions, are
all driving consumer growth,” said Philip Williams, senior industry analyst for Dataquest’s
PC Quarterly Statistics Europe program.

Among top-tier vendors, Fujitsu experienced the strongest
growth, with especially strong home market growth in
Germany and Western Europe. Fujitsu now boasts the No.1
position in Europe’s home PC market for the first time.

Overall, however, Compaq continues to hold top position
in the European PC market with over a million shipments
in the first quarter.

Dell, with half the volume of Compaq,
nonetheless outpaced its rival by increasing shipments by
43 per cent over the same period last year. Dell’s growth,
says Dataquest, comes from continued success in the professional
sector.

Regionally, Germany led with overall shipments of 1.6 million units
(up 34.6 percent), while the UK came second with 1.4 million
units (up 24 percent). France was third with 895,000 units (up
32 percent from last year).

The regional home market figures, however, show the most marked
increases. Home PC shipments in Germany were up 109 percent,
while in the UK and France they grew 75 percent.