NZ computer sales buoyant

By Phil Boeyen, ShareChat Business News Editor

Wednesday 8th August 2001

Despite offshore concerns about a slowdown in computer sales, New Zealand sales for the three months ended June were impressive according to a local IT research firm.

IDC New Zealand says commercial shipments drove the PC market during the second quarter, with strong buying from both small and large businesses.

"The effects of the global IT downturn were lessened in the New Zealand PC market for a variety of reasons. The New Zealand economy has been fairly stable this year and business confidence has improved," the research firm says.

"In addition to this, PC penetration rates are not as high in New Zealand as they are in the US providing more headroom for new PC purchases. New Zealand has a penetration per household of approximately 52%, whereas the US has a higher rate of 64%."

IDC says as prices come down and performance improves, many consumers are opting for a portable PC as a desktop replacement.

"We've also seen an increasing focus on the portable market from players such as Compaq. Additionally, Toshiba's mobile wireless advertising has been prevalent, raising the profile of the emerging technology."

Statistics New Zealand figures released Wednesday show national retail sales for the quarter ended June grew 2.3%.

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