MARKET WATCH - Low prices a hit with buyers

Toshiba's Equium range makes inroads into the desktop area, while HP boosts notebook share with low-cost portables.

DESKTOP SUMMARY

nge makes inroads into the desktop area, while HP boosts notebook share with low-cost portables. Compaq led the sales of desktops in the sub-pounds 1,000 price band. In January, 53 per cent of desktops in this sector were Compaq PCs.

IBM maintained second position in January, with 17 per cent of the market.

However, its market share fluctuated over the six-month period, losing out on second place to Hewlett Packard in December 1998.

In third place for January was Toshiba with 8.5 per cent market share. Toshiba has been in the desktop sector for more than two years and its Equium range of business PCs has been adopted by cost-conscious buyers.

NOTEBOOK SUMMARY

Toshiba remained in pole position for the sub-pounds 1,500 sector. In January, its notebooks accounted for almost half of the total market share.

Compaq lost market share in November 1998 to IBM, but otherwise managed to maintain its number two position with 16.9 per cent.

IBM lost market share over the six-month period, but the ThinkPad 600 range was January's best-selling corporate notebooks.

Hewlett Packard increased sales of its cost-conscious notebooks. Its market share increased to 7.1 per cent in January.

SERVER SUMMARY

Compaq achieved 47 per cent market share, selling the highest number of servers in this price bracket in January.

IBM rapidly increased market share. In the first month of 1999, sales of its PC servers accounted for 21 per cent of the market.

Hewlett Packard's share dropped considerably from September to November 1998, but picked up in December 1998. In January, it sold 13 per cent of servers in the sub-pounds 3,000 sector.