Toshiba pips Big Blue on UK sales

Sales of Toshiba notebook computers have outstripped IBM's combined sales of notebooks and desktops, putting the company ahead of IBM as the UK's number two indirect PC vendor, according to market research firm Romtec.

The figures for March 1996 show that Compaq is still the largest PC vendor in the UK, with 26.9 per cent of the market.

IBM has slipped into third position with a market share of 10 per cent, and Toshiba's sales of notebooks represent a 10.4 per cent share of the entire indirect PC market.

'It's extraordinary that Toshiba can grab the number two slot in the whole indirect PC sector, particularly as we don't sell desktops,' said Toshiba marketing manager Andy Bass.

'But we are under no illusion that success today automatically brings success tomorrow and we are working on new initiatives and programmes where we know we have weaknesses.'

An IBM representative told PC Dealer: 'Historically, we've always tended not to comment on this sort of thing. Romtec data doesn't always correlate with the way we see things.

'The figures are for March this year - I guess we'll just have to see what the figures for April look like.'

Toshiba sells more than three times as many notebooks as Compaq, its nearest rival in the notebook market. Toshiba's share of the market is 49.7 per cent, whereas Compaq has 16.3 per cent.

IBM is the third largest notebook vendor with an 11.8 per cent share of the market.

Dataquest has just published its figures for PC market share across Europe during the first quarter of 1996.

The figures show that Compaq has the largest market share at 12.3 per cent, IBM is in second place with 9.9 per cent and Siemens Nixdorf is third with 5.4 per cent.