Analysts are starting to wonder if Japan's shrinking demand for home computers is a sign of changing global technology demands. Import numbers for PC's has fallen for the fifth consecutive quarter this year.
"The household PC market is losing momentum to other electronics like flat-panel TVs and mobile phones," said Masahiro Katayama, research group head at market survey firm IDC.
Experts cite that many new electronics, especially cell phones, come internet-ready or are better suited to high-memory gaming.
"The future of PCs isn't bright." Katayama said.
Macintosh sales are also falling. Apple Inc. saw a 5 percent drop in sales for 9 consecutive months in 2007.
A 2006 survey by the Japanese Ministry of Internal Affairs shows more than 50 percent of Japanese send e-mail and browse the Internet from their mobile phones. The same survey also found that 30 percent of people with e-mail on their phones used PC-based e-mail less, including 4 percent who said they had stopped sending e-mails from PCs completely.
Click here to see an article by Hiroko Tabuchi with the Associated Press
By Andy Franks
No comments:
Post a Comment