In the last quarter of 2008, a total of 106,552 personal computers were delivered in Croatia, representing a slight, 0.2 percent increase compared to the same period in 2007. However, as computer prices simultaneously fell, the value of computer shipments on an annual basis significantly decreased in the last three months of last year, as reported today by the analytical company IDC Adriatics.
According to IDC’s quarterly research data on the personal computer market, a total of 316,892 PCs were sold in Croatia, Slovenia, and Serbia in the fourth quarter of last year, which is 11 percent more than in the same period the previous year. The largest sales growth was recorded in Serbia at 21 percent, while in Slovenia, PC sales increased by 12 percent, and in Croatia, by a minimal 0.2 percent. The slowdown in PC sales growth in the Croatian market is also noted in comparison to the third quarter.
Specifically, IDC notes that while in previous years, personal computer sales in the fourth quarter were about 50 percent higher than in the third, last year this growth was only 22 percent. They conclude that the Croatian market has clearly been affected by economic slowdown. In all three countries, the most dynamic segment of the PC market in the fourth quarter of 2008 was the notebook segment, where sales growth was significantly higher than the overall market growth.
In Croatia, a total of 57,495 laptops were delivered in the last three months of last year, which represents an increase of 15.9 percent compared to the last quarter of 2007. At the same time, desktop computer sales decreased by 14.3 percent, to 46,409 units. IDC data also shows that the leading computer supplier in the Croatian market in the last quarter of last year was HP, followed by M San Grupa with its brand MSG and Toshiba. (H)
