An IDC Quarterly PC Tracker report released yesterdays found that PC shipments overall for 2009 were up about 2.8 percent over 2008 -- not exactly a game changing stat or anything, but we're sure the manufacturers will take what they can get. The upswing was apparently largely due to the strong fourth quarter (and the positive debut of
Windows 7), which made up for the abysmal first quarter, second quarter, and semi-abysmal third quarter. In that last quarter of the year, PC sales showed a 15.2 percent growth over 2008 worldwide, while in the US, sales were up 24 percent over the last year, with 20.7 million units shipped. Another trend noted in the report, is, unsurprisingly, the fact that people continue to purchase cheaper PCs -- mostly in the form of laptops and
netbooks. All this means that retailers and manufacturers profit margins are thinning out, but hey, we'll leave the worrying to the economists -- where's that circular for the fifteen dollar netbook?
posted January 14th 2010 11:46AM
im a PC, and i contributed to this statistic.
@skyblaze
Im a mac and I have lame adverts
@skyblaze
I'm a netbook, and I just keep getting more popular, because I'm a cheap slut that's easy to bring home :)
@skyblaze I'm a PC as well. I contributed by buying 4 this year.
HUZZAH ALL PCs of the World !
@MoonWalkerCTE Michael Jackson used Windows...
@TikiTeko
I own Mac and PC
@skyblaze
I'm an asshole and lube was my idea.
@MoonWalkerCTE
I ate an orange and a fruit.
I drove a Honda Civic and a car.
all because of windows 7 :D
@Acey
All because of cheap netbooks.
@hfm - not really. If cheap netbooks were the main reason, little would have changed in Q3/Q4 because the very same cheap netbooks were available since H2/2008.
Windows 7 was certainly a big factor.
@hfm
"Cheap but beautiful!"
@fikhl Certainly, Lenovo Skylight proves that.
@hfm
All because of cheap netbooks running Windows 7.
I wonder what the profits on these shipments looked like though. Shipping a ton of $300 netbooks is not the same as shipping a ton of $1,500 notebooks. The race to the bottom with netbooks!
No wonder Apple hasn't jumped on that bandwagon.
@trainwrecka
If a 300-500 dollar laptop does the same task as a 1500 laptop for normal needs what's wrong?.
@trainwrecka
While its not a market for you and I, it is a market and at least someone is taking advantage of it. Plus I do not know anyone who buys a netbook to REPLACE their laptop. Most I have seen get them to take to class or somewhere like that.
@trainwrecka there are people who need cheap computers or people who need sometimes small computers to carry around. If apple makes a netbook, it will cost more than those ion powered ones and would do half the work. its no point paying a lot for a computer when you can do the same with a cheaper one. dont comment about "experience". Its a terminology apple created. That way we can say KDE has greater "Experience" and windows 7 has greater "Experience". people think practicality and not outer shape and size mostly unless your a hollywood star
@trainwrecka
even at $300, selling a netbook still makes them profit, surely. Everybody wins, what's the problem?
@lifenexus I agree. The experience argument is a vague term used to sell 500 PCs at a 1000+ dollar markup. They use that term with cars as well, but at least a BMW comes with a much better engine than a baseline camry, and handling and acceleration can be backed up with raw numbers. I believe Windows 7 did away with quite a large amount of the argument for purchasing OS X. I run Ubuntu(workstation at work), OS X(macbook pro unibody), and Windows 7(home built and at work) on a daily basis and I don't see a 1000+ dollar difference in my "experience" when I'm using OS X.
@trainwrecka
Yeah, the "race to the bottom". Just what Sony said before releasing a netbook (the Vaio W, which is the one Vaio I would never buy). Obviously, companies make profit from these things or they would stop production altogether, right? Sure, they would prefer to sell $2000 notebooks with a huge profit margin but the reason netbooks do so well is *because* they are cheap.
Not everyone buys a computer to feel like a princess. Some people just buy them to access the net, write some documents, perhaps play some indie/flash games. Netbooks can do that (and more) plus they are ultra cheap so they sell well. I can't understand why some people find this offensive.
@DaveBrubeck
here's what i think the problem is: bobby spent big bucks on the hottest, shiniest product out there while well aware of the less-expensive alternatives. bobby then feels like he must justify to not only to everyone else, but perhaps even to himself, as to why it was a lot more expensive. he talks about "experience" this, "speed" that, yadda-yadda-yadda, post after post after post when in reality, no one cares. you spent all that money because you felt you had to, whatever the reason. some of us don't feel we need to do the same, bottom line.
@avinash240 very true again. Since you use ubuntu you can tell this next part. The better "experience" is actually free as in compiz and kde. they are both beautiful. mac has a lot from compiz like the expo in compiz is expose in mac. no difference..
i use windows 7, xp, mac and linux ubuntu all in my same pc. i prefer windows 7 over all and next xp and the ubuntu. mac is well....
@trainwrecka
*Shrug*
Apparently they can make money out of it and people want to buy them. Apple do charge a premium for their products which is great if you're a stockholder and rubbish if you're a customer.
I'm a PC and getting Mac owned is my ideal.
i'm a pc and have always, and always will, DOMINATE.
I`m a mac and I always boot in windows 7 , i have never boot mac os since i used windows 7, so technically I`m a PC?
@superjeff : O NOU U DDNT! Steve Jobs will certenly not like that ! O_o
@max1c no one actually counts how many mac users use windows in mac. if you add that the 5% mac users may be only 2.5%
Steve jobs might regret with boot camp!
@superjeff
Me too.
I love the picture at the top of the post. When I go to the beach with my girlfriend we just play on our laptops and don't even look at each other. Then we laugh and laugh.
@ltksiva Does she look at pictures of surfer babes in bikinis while you watch snowboarding videos?
@ltksiva
As Clint Eastwood said in Dirty Harry:
That's mighty white of you.
I helped out with this statistic. Bought my Y550 from Lenovo during that 7 days of sales they were having via their website. Fucking got a deal on it.
double-dip!
She's kinda cute.
(Someone had to say SOMETHING)
@ltksiva
I agree. And wtf how is this picture relevant? It should be a picture like the Excite ad or whatever that product is called. When I wear jeans to the beach with my girl, I always bring my laptop and look at myself skiing!