PCs brave Black Friday

PC makers have some reasons to be thankful, according to new retail sales results from Thanksgiving week.

Overall PC hardware unit sales, which include desktops, notebooks, monitors, PDAs (personal digital assistants) and printers, rose by 4.6 percent that week versus the same period in 2003, according to data to be released late Tuesday by Current Analysis. Revenue, however, decreased by 1 percent during the 2004 Thanksgiving week, said the firm, which tracks retail sales of electronics in the United States.

That period includes Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which marks the official start of the holiday shopping season. Black Friday is also typically one of the busiest shopping days of the season, helping to set the tone for holiday sales. This year, the National Retail Federation has forecast U.S. retail sales will increase by 4.5 percent to $219.9 billion.

Stan Schatt, senior research director for Current Analysis, said the increase in unit sales for PC products during Thanksgiving week is a fairly healthy sign.

"The numbers we're getting seem to be consistent with what we hear retailers saying, which is, 'It's going to be a good, but not a great holiday season,'" he said. "It's not as good as they want it, but it's better than they feared it would be."

Last year, U.S. revenue from computers and other electronics equipment totaled $631 million during the Thanksgiving week, including Black Friday, according to market researcher the NPD Group. NPD Group has not yet released any data for 2004's Thanksgiving week.

Breaking it down
Although the average selling price for a desktop PC declined by just over $50, from $663 in 2003 to $610 in 2004, desktop unit sales fell 4.2 percent year over year during the Thanksgiving week. Revenue dipped by 11.8 percent, Current Analysis figures show.

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks is prohibited. Click here to review our Terms of Use.