Framingham (MA) - The global market research firm, IDC, has published preliminary figures showing that sales in the Asia Pacific region (excluding Japan) have fallen for the first time in 10 years. Sales are down on the quarter and on the year.





Total sales of 17.2 million desktop and notebooks were sold in the quarter ending December 31, 2008, which is 14% down from the previous quarter and shows a year-on-year decline of an unspecified amount - though it's the first one since the 3Q 1998 timeframe when, according to the report, "the region was grappling with the Asian financial crisis."



In 2008, Lenovo (the number one vendor in the region) had an 18.3% market share, followed by HP at 14.15, Dell at 9.1%, Acer at 7.5% and China's own Founder at 4.0%.



The report cites individual pockets of growth, but overall the industry is down 14% from Q3 and down on the year in the wake of the current global economic downturn.



In related news, it's being reported today that the Malaysian manufacturing sector (which includes many device assembly parts - like physically putting chips onto boards which ultimately make it into kid's toys, cell phones and ohter consumer electronics) could lose 45,000 jobs and devastate the local economy. The forecasters are looking at March to be the bottom point before job losses cease.