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Asia-Pacific PC Sales Rise After Millennium Dud
First-quarter sales of personal computers (PCs) in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan rose 43 per cent from a year ago to 4.2 million units with China retaining its position as the biggest market.
Initial worries that first-quarter PC sales would be affected by the millennium bug proved unfounded, and the strong growth momentum is expected to continue, research firm International Data Corp. (IDC) said Monday in a report.
Government-sponsored programs to lift the levels of personal computer ownership gave a boost to sales, especially in South Korea where low-income earners were helped by a state-led "Internet PC" program.
"Much political support has driven growth in key Asian markets, namely through Korea and China, and this has heavily contributed to Asia Pacific's sustained growth," senior analyst Davina Yeo said in the report.
About 1.3 million units were sold in China in the first quarter, representing a year-on-year rise of 35 percent.
South Korea was the second largest market, with unit sales of 1.04 million units, up 146 percent from a low base of 424,000 units a year ago, the report said.
South Korea's Samsung Corp. was the top-selling brand in the region with a market share of 9.1 percent or 384,000 units, up from 5.9 percent for the same quarter last year. Samsung's strong showing was due largely to a program targetted at boosting sales among students, the report said.
China's Legend was the second best-selling brand with 361,000 units sold, equivalent to a market share of 8.5 percent.
IBM, the leading brand in the first quarter last year, slipped into third place with a share of 7.2 percent or 306,000 units sold.
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