Worldwide PC processor shipments in the third calendar quarter of 2008 reached record levels again, according to new data from IDC. However, the outlook for the processor market in the fourth quarter this year and 2009 is very murky.
Worldwide PC processor unit shipments grew 14% on quarter and 15.8% on year while market revenues grew 7.6% on quarter and 4.1% on year to US$8.3 billion. Intel"s new Atom processor for netbooks made a notable difference in overall market performance; without Atom, unit shipments grew 8.3% sequentially and and 8.7% on year.