(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
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| Average PC Retail Price Falls in July: Nikkei Best PC Survey
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August 17, 1998 (TOKYO) -- The average retail price of both desktop and
notebook personal computers in Japan fell as of July 14 over the prior
month.
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According to PC shop prices surveyed by "Nikkei Best PC," a PC purchase
guide, and compiled by "Nikkei Market Access," the average shop price
of desktop/tower type PCs declined by 16,119 yen (US$110), or 5.8 percent,
to 262,805 yen (US$1,800) from the previous month. Notebook PCs also
declined by 18,200 yen (US$125), or 5.9 percent, to 292,731 yen (US$2,000).
As for the PC retail market in July, quite a
few discount stores appeared to have secured the same level of sales
as the same month of the previous year (See chart).
This is because consumers' hesitation to purchase prior to the launch
of Windows 98 on July 25 subsided and sales after July 25 showed healthy
growth.
However, the intention of discount stores to sell the remaining Windows
95 models as much as possible prior to the arrival of Windows 98 models
resulted in a decline of the average retail price of nearly 20,000 yen
(US$140).
Although the unsold Windows 95 models are expected to be on the market
with a further discount, relatively high-end desktop PCs equipped with
a liquid-crystal display (LCD) monitor priced for almost 300,000 yen
(US$2,050) have gradually been making their way into the consumer market.
Because of this, there is a slim chance of a drastic decline of the
average retail price in August.
The survey was performed independently by Nikkei Best PC on retail prices
of leading models at 14 major PC mass marketing outlets in Tokyo, Osaka
and Nagoya. The results are in the magazine each month.
The results are analyzed by dividing types into categories -- desktop/towers
and notebooks -- to show the respective average retail prices. The prices
by outlet and by model as of July 14, 1998 appear in the September issue
of Nikkei Best PC.
Chart: Average retail price for PCs
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(return to news)
Related stories:
Japan PC Retailers See Steep Rise in PC Prices in June
Japan Windows 98 Sales Hit 330,000 Copies in Nine Days
(Nikkei Market Access)
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