Domestic shipments and exports of personal computers by the nation's 23 major PC manufacturers totaled 2 million units in the April-June period this year, unchanged from the same period last year, an industry group reported August 6.
According to a report by the Japan Electronic Industry Development Association, the shipments remained at the same level as last year because of sluggish domestic sales following April's consumption tax increase. Total shipments and exports including peripherals were worth 710.3 billion yen, up 17 percent from the previous year.
Domestic shipments in the April-June quarter totaled 1.709 million units, up 4 percent from a year ago. "Considering the severe domestic conditions, such as the consumption tax hike, I think our business was relatively good in the last quarter," said Tetsuya Mizoguchi, chairman of JEIDA's personal computer business committee and vice president of Toshiba Corp.
He added that JEIDA has no plan to revise its previous estimate downward for the current business year, saying it is too early to forecast the trend for the rest of the year. He also said that sales of personal computers for corporate use are likely to increase toward the end of the year.