As an ISP, we know our customers need computers to take advantage of the Internet access we offer. So we keep an eye on the computer industry, and know many of our customers do to. After all, a good computer can help you have a good Internet experience.
Just yesterday the research firm Gartner released a preliminary report about the PC industry for the third quarter of 2012.
The report showed worldwide PC shipments down over 8% compared with one year ago. In the U.S., shipments were down even more, with a decline of almost 14%. Analysts think that the coming release of Windows 8 contributed to the decline since many consumers may be waiting to buy computers after the release.
The other headline news for the computer industry was that long-time PC sales leader HP looks like it will be edged out of that position for the first time since 2006. The new #1 is projected to be Lenovo with 15.7% of the worldwide PC market compared to 15.5% for HP. Dell, Acer, and ASUS round out the top 5 for worldwide sales.
In the U.S., HP remained #1 and Lenovo was 4th in shipments. Here’s the U.S. top 5 with links to deals on laptops for each brand on myEarthLink:
1. HP
2. Dell
3. Apple
4. Lenovo
5. Acer
If you’re not yet ready to buy a new computer, remember you can still optimize your old PC for greater speed and performance.