Pricing initiatives in both the desktop and portable segments underscored a strong first quarter in the personal computer markets of Europe, the Middle East and Africa (or EMEA, as most corporations now refer to these regions), with a 21% growth in shipments, according to research group IDC. With the sub-$1,000 PC market becoming a reality in these region with the same success as it had already enjoyed Stateside, there was also some dramatic downward movement in the prices of portables during the period, particularly in Eastern Europe, where a number of US vendors were offloading inventory. IDC said Western Europe as a whole performed well during the first three months of this year, showing no signs of what the researcher termed a ‘hangover from a very strong fourth quarter’ of 1997. The company singled out Scandinavia as a particularly strong market through March 1998. It said Eastern Europe as a whole had showed significant growth, with Hungary and Bulgaria particularly strong. As for individual vendors, Compaq made headway in terms of market share in most of EMEA, according to IDC, the one exception being in Eastern Europe, where the market-leading Russian assembler Vist Ltd. maintained its dominance. IBM had a slower quarter, dropping one percentage point in market share vis-a-vis the first quarter of 1997, though they remained in second place. Hewlett-Packard’s shipments were up 72.6%, adding two percentage points to their share compared to the same period last year. IDC attributed this growth to major investments in manufacturing of corporate desktops. On the consumer side, however, the company continues to languish in insignificance in the EMEA region. Dell also made gains in market share, according to IDC’s data, vindicating its direct sales strategy. Indeed, the vendor moved into the top five ranking in the first quarter thanks to its 65.9% increase in shipments. The research group said Germany’s Vobis group, comprising Vobis Microcomputer AG, Maxdata Computer GmbH, Peacock AG and Peacock Systeme GmbH, reaped the benefits of consolidation, its 62.4% shipments growth having also moved it into the top five in EMEA.
