(Nikkei BP Group)
(No.1 High-Tech News Site in Japanese)
|
|
| Japan's PC Sales Up in 4th Week of July Due to Window 98
|
|
August 24, 1998 (TOKYO) -- Owing to the impact of Microsoft Corp.'s release
of Windows 98, sales have been brisk of personal computers at Japan's
large retailers of electronic products.
|
According to the tabulation by GfK Japan, Ltd.,
an information service company that handles POS data for large retailers
of electric appliances, sales of personal computers in the fourth week
of July (July 27 - August 2, 1998) increased 14.5 percent in number
of units sold, and by 19.5 percent in sales amount, compared to the
preceding week (See table).
If a comparison is made with the same week in the previous year (July
28 - August 3, 1997), the results represent an increase of 77.8 percent
in number of units and 70.2 percent in sales amount year-on-year. While
the results fall short of those for the third and fourth weeks of March
1997 -- immediately before the implementation of the higher consumption
tax on April 1, 1997, the results recorded the third highest level since
the start of the survey.
In particular, sales of notebook personal computers are especially brisk
both in units sold and value, with sales reaching new record high levels.
Demand for mini-tower type and space-saving type personal computers
has been growing as well, and sales of desktop and tower-type personal
computers also increased.
The average sales price of personal computers (for both desktops and
notebooks combined) increased by 9,876 yen (US$70) from the previous
week's price of 226,545 yen (US$1,580) to 236,421 yen (US$1,650).
The average price for a desktop type increased by 7,818 yen (US$55),
and that of the notebook type increased by 10,854 yen (US$76) from the
previous week. This appears to indicate a consumer psychology along
the lines of "as long as I'm buying a new PC, I might as well buy a
good one." And this apparently led to brisk sales.
The data GfK Japan releases are from about 2,000 outlets of 41 firms.
GfK Japan initially picked the 41 firms in 1996 and it has been releasing
their data since then.
GfK Japan covers a far greater number of outlets with combined unit-based
sales accounting for about 10 percent of Japan's PC shipments and about
25 percent of total retail sales.
The following graphs are at the Nikkei
Market Access Web site in Japanese only:
- Trends in the number of (all types of) PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the sales amount (in money) of (all types of) PCs sold in
a week.
- Trends in average sales price of (all types of) PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the number of desktop PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the sales amount of desktop PCs in a week.
- Trends in the average sales price of desktop PCs in a week.
- Trends in the number of notebook PCs sold in a week.
- Trends in the sales amount of notebook PCs in a week.
- Trends in the average sales price of notebook PCs in a week.
Table: PC sales in the fourth week of July 1998 (source: GfK Japan)
"Year-before weekly comparison" in the Table means the comparison with
July 28 - August 3, 1997. |
|
|
(return to news)
Related story : Japan
PC Sales Rise on Windows 98 Release
(Nikkei Market Access)
|
|
|
