Best Buy: Reports of PCs’ Death Greatly Exaggerated

Best Buy is stressing its commitment to the PC category after citing steep computer cannibalization by iPad.

According to a story in last week’s Wall Street Journal, Best Buy’s internal estimates showed that Apple’s tablet computer had eaten into PC sales by as much as 50 percent, particularly for notebook models.

The newspaper credited CEO Brian Dunn with the data, which set off a wave of speculation about the PC’s future sales prospects.

Dunn has since responded through a statement issued by Best Buy, which likened rumors of a pending decline in notebook and netbook sales to Mark Twain’s premature obituary.

“The reports of the demise of these devices are grossly exaggerated,” Dunn commented. “While they were fueled in part by a comment in the Wall Street Journal that was attributed to me, they are not an accurate depiction of what we’re currently seeing. In fact, we see some shifts in consumption patterns, with tablet sales being an incremental opportunity.

“And as we said during our recent earnings call,” he continued, “we believe computers will remain a very popular gift this holiday because of the very distinct and desirable benefits they offer consumers. That’s why we intend to carry a broad selection of computing products and accessories to address the demand we anticipate this season.”