Sales of MMX Portables Increase 200 Percent

Portable computers featuring Intel's MMX technology are growing in demand.

According to the July Retail Hardware report compiled by PC Data, MMX portable computers captured 23 percent of portable unit sales, up from less than 8 percent in April when the portables first appeared on store shelves and in catalogs.

This represents a nearly 200 percent increase in unit sales, during a period in which the overall portable market grew only 1 percent.

The increase in sales comes at the same time the average selling prices have declined more than 17 percent. In July, the average MMX portable sold for nearly US$3,300 compared to more than $3,900 in April. Non-MMX portables' selling prices declined only 8.5 percent during the same time frame.

The MMX technology, developed by Intel, is designed to significantly enhance multimedia functions such as graphics, video and sound.

Compaq leads the category with almost 55 percent of unit sales since April. Indeed, Compaq's Presario 1075 and 1080 models have accounted for almost 45.5 percent of the MMX market to date. Acer/TI, in second place, captured 12.2 percent of the unit sales.