The personal computer (PC) business globally is in trouble, and the hardest hit large manufacturer is Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), maker of the decades old Mac. Fortunately, the Mac is not Apple’s flagship anymore.
PC sales may never recover, but the rate at which the industry has imploded slowed recently. Research firm IDC points out:
Worldwide PC shipments totaled nearly 68 million units in the third quarter of 2016 (3Q16), a year-on-year decline of 3.9%, according to the International Data Corporation Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Shipment volume continued to decline, but the results were about 3.2% ahead of projections.
The better than expected results reflect competition among the market leaders and an effort to capitalize on market consolidation and future stabilization. After struggling to reduce inventory over the past year or more, PC vendors are now rebuilding inventory for the second half of the year. Combine this with an improving outlook, a race for market leadership between Lenovo and HP, and efforts to guarantee component supplies, and market drivers are taking shape. The seasonal increase in volume during the second half of the year and projected stronger demand going forward provide some justification for more aggressive positioning.
Results varied substantially by region:
Mature regions continued to perform best, with the United States taking the lead with a second consecutive quarter of positive growth. In other developed markets growth was stable or improved slightly with near flat growth in Japan and Canada, followed by a small decline in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Shipments in Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) continued to decline in mid-single digits while Latin America struggled with double-digit declines.
Lenovo, the top manufacturer, suffered a 3.2% decline in shipments during the third quarter to 14,511,000. HP Inc. (NYSE: HPQ) had shipments of 14,392,000, up 3.3%. Dell’s shipments were 10,751,000, up 6.2%. Apple shipments dropped 13% to 5,014,000. Asus sales rose 5.2% to 4,693,000.
Fortunately, Mac sales are little more than a rounding error for Apple’s results. Mac revenue in Apple’s most recently reported quarter was $5.2 billion out of Apple’s total of $42.4 billion.
Credit Card Companies Are Doing Something Nuts
Credit card companies are at war. The biggest issuers are handing out free rewards and benefits to win the best customers.
It’s possible to find cards paying unlimited 1.5%, 2%, and even more today. That’s free money for qualified borrowers, and the type of thing that would be crazy to pass up. Those rewards can add up to thousands of dollars every year in free money, and include other benefits as well.
We’ve assembled some of the best credit cards for users today. Don’t miss these offers because they won’t be this good forever.
Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
