Computer shipments have declined for the second time in the industry's history, though Dell Computer and the Asian market continue to expand their influence.
Shipments of PCs declined 5.1 percent worldwide in 2001 compared with the previous year, according to preliminary figures released Thursday by market researcher IDC. At the same time, shipments in the United States dropped by 12.2 percent.
For the fourth quarter, worldwide shipments dropped 6.1 percent from the previous year and U.S. shipments dropped 8.5 percent. However, sales did pick up globally and in the United States compared with the third quarter.
Gartner, a competing market researcher, released similar results Thursday. Its figures include shipments of desktops, notebooks and Intel-based servers. According to Gartner, 2001 marked only the second time the PC market has shrunk. The market also contracted in 1985.
Although PC sales picked up from the third quarter to the fourth quarter, the overall picture apparently won't improve any time soon.
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