This IDC study reviews the performance of the worldwide PC market during the third quarter of 2006 (3Q06). The study looks at the market performance of desktop and portable PCs and provides some commentary on x86 servers in major geographies, including the United States, Western Europe, Japan, Asia/Pacific (excluding Japan) (APEJ), and the rest of the world (ROW). Details on unit shipments, market value, and average selling prices (ASPs) are provided, along with a review of the competitive performance of the top PC vendors.

"Growth in worldwide PC shipments in 3Q06 of 9.1% was right on our forecast, representing a healthy quarter for a relatively mature market. Many variables played a role in the third quarter. Portable adoption is accelerating, vendors are retooling their strategy, and the U.S. market had a weaker-than-expected quarter." ? Doug Bell, analyst, United States Quarterly PC Tracker program