News

IDC: Unix, Windows NT Workstation Shipments Both Increased in 1999

• By Scott Bekker
• 02/22/2000

In 1999, total branded workstation shipments -- Unix and NT -- were 1.62 million units, up 14 percent from 1998. The Windows NT branded workstation market grew 23 percent, while the Unix workstation market was up 2 percent. NT shipments numbered around 1.02 million, while Unix shipments were 609,428.

Dell Computer Corp. (www.dell.com) captured the top position in both U.S. and worldwide shipments of Windows NT branded workstations with 249,544 units and 25 percent market share worldwide. IDC (www.idc.com) analysts attribute Dell's 80 percent growth over 1998's market share to investment in major vertical application areas. Dell also held a 33 percent share in the U.S. market.

Hewlett-Packard Co. (www.hp.com) dropped to second place in the worldwide NT workstation market this year, with a 25 percent lower market share than in 1998. HP held a worldwide market share of 23 percent.

Compaq Computer Corp. (www.compaq.com) was third in 1999 with a 19 percent worldwide market share. A surge in the fourth quarter, however, helped boost Compaq's growth over 1998 numbers to 43 percent. IBM (www.ibm.com) had a market share of 15 percent, and grew 59 percent over 1998.

The total Unix worldwide workstation market numbered 609,428 units in 1999. Sun Microsystems Inc. (www.sun.com) gained 11 percentage points on its 1998 share to take the top spot in the Unix market with a market share of 57 percent. Sun shipped 349,040 units in 1999, with shipments of the Ultra 5 and Ultra 10 particularly strong. HP retained the number two spot in the Unix market with 14.5 percent market share, and IBM was third with 13 percent of the Unix market in 1999. -- Isaac Slepner