January 27th, 2000

[6:00 AM] The French Penser Différent, Apple's French Sales Increase 46% by Michael Munger International Data Corporation France, when painting a portrait of the computer industry in 1999, reported that computer sales grew by 21.7% in France - the strongest increase since 1992 - and that Apple was one of the companies to benefit the most from it. Apple had the third strongest growth figures of all with 46.5% more units sold than in 1998, which is way ahead of the 21.7% industry average. Apple now ranks 8th in the country among computer makers and its market share went from 3.1% to 3.7%. When combining the statistics, only IBM and Dell did better with superior market share and growth percentage in units sold. IDC predicts that the year 2000 will observe a new 22% increase in terms of computer sales. The organization points to the impact of the Internet and the potential penetration of technological equipment in French households. Also, the study notes the arrival of "Free PCs" on the market, which boosts the number of units shipped, especially to consumers. The total numbers from IDC France: Rang (rank) Acteurs (Companies) Variation 1998-1999 (increase from 1198 to 1999) % 98 % 99 1 Groupe Compaq 7,8% 16,9% 15,0% 2 Groupe P.B/ NEC/ZDS 17,4% 13,8% 13,3% 3 IBM 57,0% 9,6% 12,4% 4 Dell 69,0% 7,6% 10,6% 5 HP 32,9% 9,6% 10,4% 6 Fujitsu/Siemens -3,1% 7,0% 5,6% 7 Groupe Unika* 115,7% 2,6% 4,6% 8 Apple 46,5% 3,1% 3,7% 9 Cibox 26,2% 3,2% 3,3% 10 Toshiba -3,1% 4,0% 3,2%   Autres (others) -3,9% 22,6% 17,8%   TOTAL 21,7% 100,0% 100,0% Chart courtesy of IDC France Thanks to MAC Generation from France for alerting us to this news. The Mac Observer Spin: These numbers were powered mostly by the consumer, and in part by the professional. Big coincidence, the end user is exactly where Apple has been heading since the introduction of the iMac in August 1998. This responds to the overall situation in France where the consumer is more and more into buying computers, and leaves the other European countries behind with this renewal of interest from other markets than professionals. Imagine this. Apple's sold 46% more Macs in 1999 in North America than in 1998 and it scored the exact same number in France! This is great if you consider that France, like the rest of Europe, is a tough crowd when it comes to computers. Selling Macs is not easy overseas where inventories can be harder to manage, prices are usually higher, and they don't benefit from Steve Jobs' charismatic presence. Another great thing is that this report indicates that Apple's success isn't limited to the US and Canada. It takes more worldwide proportions. While the situation in Germany and England is far from perfect, Apple is making steady progress on European soil, and this is a good sign. Let's just hope that Frenchmen will continue to Penser Différent. Apple France - IDC France