Hard disk drive (HDD) manufacturers repositioned themselves in this Great Recession, managing to show growth in 2009, according to a recently published report by The Information Network.
The market grew nearly 11% on a unit basis in 2009 and is slated to grow another 11% in 2010, according to the market research firm's analysis. Desktop PC sales were stronger than many industry executives and analysts had expected. What happened in the fourth quarter 2009 was a big rush to desktop PCs. There was strength in China. Full-size desktop PCs are a status symbol in that nation, as compared with smaller notebooks or netbooks.
What happened in the fourth quarter 2009 was a big rush to desktop PCs. There was strength in China's full-size desktop PCs are a status symbol in that nation, as compared with smaller notebooks or netbooks.
"The market for 2009 was about product mix," noted Dr. Robert Castellano, president of The Information Network. "Seagate leads in the desktop and the enterprise markets, which are down for 2009, while Western Digital has focused on non-desktop applications, primarily the 2.5-inch form factor for mobile and CE, which are up in 2009."
Seagate ended the year as the market leader again, with shipments of 174.8 million drives, slightly ahead of Western Digital which shipped 165.2 million drives. Seagate and Western Digital have also benefited from paring costs in the downturn, helping to make the profit turnaround so dramatic.
The 1.8-inch form factor drives used in the smallest mobile devices took the greatest hit. Shipments dropped in half to less than 11 million units, as solid state drives have taken over the sector.
| Seagate and Western Digital global quarterly HDD shipments, 3Q08-4Q09 (million units | |||||||
| Company | 3Q08 | 4Q08 | 1Q09 | 2Q09 | 3Q09 | 4Q09 | Total 2009 |
| Seagate | 48.0 | 37 | 38.0 | 40.6 | 46.3 | 49.9 | 174.8 |
| WD | 39.4 | 35.5 | 31.6 | 40.0 | 44.1 | 49.5 | 165.2 |
Source: The Information Network, March 2010
Article translated by Michael McManus
