The third quarter of 2008 saw notebook shipments in the US surpass 50 percent, topping quarterly desktop PC shipments for the first time in the history of the industry. The share of notebooks shipped in the US in Q3 stood at a 55.2 percent, according to preliminary figures from US analysts IDC’s US Quarterly PC Tracker.

A record volume of notebooks was shipped in Q3 – over 9.5 million units – representing more than 18 percent growth both year-on-year and on a sequential basis, according to IDC’s preliminary data. These figures were reached amid the burgeoning financial crisis, which captured headlines but did not immediately affect the PC market’s performance.

Almost all the leading vendors with desktop and notebook offerings shipped greater notebook volumes in the quarter. Some vendors, such as Toshiba, have long focused exclusively on notebooks. Others, including Sony, Acer and Lenovo exceeded the 65 percent notebook ratio.

“The consumer market continued to be the top driving factor in the notebook offensive but the commercial sector played a critical role too,” says David Daoud, research manager, US Quarterly PC Tracker and Personal Systems at IDC. “The consumer market has long favoured notebooks, with mobile ratios exceeding the 70 percent mark.

“Looking ahead, while mobility will remain a leading growth factor, the economy will be a major wild card in the short to mid term,” adds Daoud. “Prolonged economic tension could have an adverse effect on the PC space leading to reduced growth, but the good news is that virtually every buyer considers PCs as ‘must-have’ products and not a secondary ‘wish-list’ items.”

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