SAN FRANCISCO, USA: Sales of computer data-storage equipment dipped less than one percent in the fourth quarter, industry tracker IDC said, as the market continued to rebound from lows seen earlier in the year.
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Global external disk storage revenue in the October-December period totaled $5.29 billion, IDC said. That compares with $5.33 billion in the year ago period.
For the year, the market fell 10.2 percent to $18.1 billion.
"Although 2009 might have gotten off to a rough start, it ended on a strong note," said IDC analyst Liz Conner in a release.
External disk storage revenue for market leader EMC Corp was essentially flat for the fourth quarter, and its market share was unchanged at 23.7 percent.
For second-place IBM that revenue climbed nine percent, and the company grew its market share to 16.8 percent. Hewlett-Packard Co's revenue fell 7.3 percent and the company lost share but remained in third place.
External disk storage revenue for No. 4 NetApp Inc rose 16.8 percent in the quarter, while No. 5 Dell Inc saw that revenue fall 13.5 percent.