Latin America PC Market Posted Single Digit Growth in 1997
San Jose, Calif. — Because of a slowdown in shipments in Brazil, the Latin
America personal computer market grew just 9% in 1997, with shipments reaching 3.3 million units,
up from nearly 3.1 million units in 1996, according to Dataquest, a market research unit
of Gartner Group, Inc. Brazil led all countries in the region with shipments reaching 1.2
million units in 1997, although the country did have a disappointing year as shipments declined
4.2% versus 1996 results.
Compaq's market share increased four points over 1996 results. IBM and Acer
continued to battle for the No. 2 position. Hewlett-Packard began to show substantial growth during
the fourth quarter when it grew 216% over the fourth quarter in 1996. "Hewlett-Packard's
growth was due to its enhanced marketing efforts in the region, better prices, and worldwide
brand positioning," said Mr. Anavitarte, senior industry analyst for Dataquest's Personal
Computer Quarterly Statistics Latin American Program.
For further information, call (800) 419-3282 or visit the Dataquest web site
at www.dataquest.com.
This article originally appeared in the April 1998 issue of Recharger.