Dell: Global PC demand 'steady'

Dell founder and Chief Executive Michael Dell appeared optimistic about the PC market during a speech given in China Thursday, according to a Bloomberg report.

Speaking about the global market, he said, "Week on week, the demand for PC sales has been steady." He added that he anticipates "encouraging" demand from U.S. consumers, though he did not provide detail as to why. Research firm IDC said it expects global PC shipments to drop 4.5 percent during 2009.

In particular, Dell has high hopes for the Chinese PC market, where his company increased sales last year by 28 percent. In terms of revenue, China is now Dell's second-largest market.

The world's second-largest PC maker, Dell also announced plans to sell 15 different computer models to rural Chinese farmers, a huge market that will soon be flush with government cash. China is poised to shower some 800 million farmers with 20 billion yuan ($2.9 billion) of subsidies enabling them to buy home appliances, which apparently includes PCs.

Dell's most recent quarterly earnings report reflected waning demand for consumer PCs and falling IT budgets at large enterprise companies hitting the entire industry, with revenue dropping 16 percent to $13.4 billion.

But that hasn't stopped Dell from introducing both a new luxury consumer notebook and a new enterprise suite of servers, workstations, and IT services in the past few weeks.

[Mr. Dee]

A country with a population over 1 billion and 800 million are farmers? Not that farming is bad, but its interesting, I just want to know if those figures are right. I live to eat anyway, so more power to them.

[Inconnux]

Want to increase sales? dump vista

[guest86]

Yes I agree with this comment.

Because people refuse to buy Vista like me. That why people prefer stay on Windows XP for a long time without complaint about it. People said Vista sucks! That is correct answer what people talk about. Microsoft is fault and failure to blame all companies to use Vista. Microsoft is very wrong and stupid for make biggest mistake!

Must keep support Windows XP forever and keep making millions copies of legal Windows XP in near future to stop Vista complaint. But people still fuss on Microsoft. Very sad.

[monkeyfun14]

Vista is actually pretty good...

Want to keep people less stressed get rid of fanboys.

[sci062999]

China has a population of 1.3 billion. 800 million are farmers (inclusive of the 200 million mobile farmers working in coastal cities). I know a family in Hubei province. They have a plot of land. That is sufficient to plant rice, vegetables, grow a few pig and have some left to sell on the market. That is enough to feed the entire family of more than 10. India probably has a population of 1 billion and the farmers ratio is probably even higher.

[JCPayne]

Apple should totally buyout Dell Computer it would give Apple a huge slice of the business segment which Dell has.

[seven7dust]

oh plzz stop this Apple buying everybody crap
Apple's philosophy is different ! if they cared about stuff like marketshare they would have done so many things Differently !
think different -:)