FRAMINGHAM, MA -- Fourth quarter PC sales rose 8.7% year-over-year, with Hewlett-Packard retaining its top spot, according to preliminary market share data from IDC.
For the quarter, HP had a share of 18.1%, well ahead of second-place Dell's
14.7%.
Lenovo (7.3%) was third, followed by Acer (7.1%) and Toshiba (3.7%).
HP's unit sales rose 24% year-over-year, its fastest pace since 2000 and three times the market rate. Dell's shipments fell 9%. Apple's unit growth was 28% -- despite a 10% increase in average selling prices -- giving the company a 2.4%
worldwide share.
According to Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore, "We believe
Dell's unit weakness is the result of efforts to improve mix/margins
by exiting the low-end market, particularly $300 consumer. We
expect this strategy to pressure revenues in the near term but
support Dell's profitability over the next few quarters."
In the U.S., Apple's shipments rose 32% and now accounts for 4.7% of the
market, up from 4.1% a year ago.
TOKYO -- The Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center last week was crammed with attendees wanting to see the latest in electronics components, equipment and materials. Really a co-location of six different shows, Nepcon World is geared toward the EMS and OEM customer, and offers myriad suppliers in one place.
Aisles were packed and business was brisk. Unlike some shows, booths tend to be smaller and the focus closer to the customer’s immediate needs. While many manufacturers do roll out their latest technology, others reserve their big splash for the more extravagant exhibitions. The show has grown by almost 20% in exhibit space, with over 1,000 companies participating, but the estimates for attendance of 50,000 may well have been significantly exceeded as evidenced by the difficulty in navigating the aisles.
ROCHESTER, NY – EMA Design Automation announced that it has acquired the Chronology Division of Forte Design Systems. No terms were announced. As part of the deal, EMA acquired TimingDesigner, an interactive timing analysis tool.
ST. LOUIS, MO - Laird Technologies has acquired AeroComm for $38 million. AeroComm designs and manufactures wireless communications systems for low- to mid-volume OEM applications. Key applications include gaming machines, industrial automation, lighting controls, heavy equipment telemetry, athletic event scoreboards, wheel alignment sensor systems, and automatic utility meter readers. Lenexa, KS-based AeroComm reported 2006 profits of $2.9 million.
Laird designs and manufactures antenna solutions, electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding products, telematics, signal integrity products and thermal management solutions.