HP and IBM retained the top two spots in total revenue; HP’s acquisition of 3Com and its new business products are expanding the company’s ability to deliver solutions, while IBM’s investments into Smarter Planet, cloud computing and business analytics continue to drive revenue. Meanwhile, AMD claimed pole position in revenue growth due to demand for its RADEON 5000 series, strong holiday sales and increased enterprise spending. Following close behind AMD were NetApp, which relies on partners to keep pace with larger competitors, and Lenovo, which attributes its growth to strong notebook sales and a growing presence in emerging markets.

The FCC’s National Broadband Plan will accelerate the growth of datacenters and diverse mobile devices

According to the Computer Business Quarterly Benchmark report, TBR believes the U.S. Congress will approve a version of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan, which would focus on increasing the number of homes with broadband access, making broadband more affordable and turning the United States into a leader in mobile innovation, among other goals. TBR believes the plan would drive an acceleration of cloud computing trends and growth in blade servers, lower-tier storage, new form factor mobile devices and system management software, to the detriment of the PC storage business. Although the growth-accelerating impacts will not be felt until 2012, vendors will begin to position themselves for more centralized computing and storage this year.

Much of the emphasis in the datacenter space will be on return on investment, delivered through energy efficiency and low cost of management. TBR believes success will be tied to vendor scale, as well as a willingness to accept lower margins on management software.

Apple’s iPad will legitimize non-Windows operating systems, non-x86 processors and diverse form factors

TBR believes the iPad, released on April 3, will increase users’ consideration for computing devices with non-traditional operating systems, processors, shapes and/or sizes. While we expect the iPad to be popular, we do not expect its uptake to match that of the iPhone, which sold 26 million units in its first two years.

The way in which consumers will use the device is not yet certain. TBR anticipates that the iPad will start as an auxiliary device, complementing a user’s PC or smartphone. On the other hand, for users who only use a PC for Web access, e-mail, media playing and simple tasks, the iPad presents a suitable alternative. At the very least, the iPad and non traditional form factors that follow will increase the range of choices for consumers. Gottheil also maintains that the iPad could help drive a revival of the desktop PC, supplanting portable devices as users opt to maintain a desktop for more demanding types of work.

Analyzing the performance of 16 companies using more than 30 standard and proprietary metrics, TBR’s CBQ Benchmark report provides expert commentary on market trends, effective business models, resource investments and geographic differences in regard to key segments of the hardware industry, such as PCs, servers, storage and microprocessors. CBQ covers the following companies on a quarterly basis: Acer, AMD, Apple, Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi Data Systems, IBM, Intel, Lenovo, Panasonic, NetApp, Sony, Sun and Toshiba.

Technology Business Research, Inc., headquartered in Hampton, N.H., is recognized as one of the leading high-tech market research and consulting firms specializing in the analyses of computer, software, networking equipment, wireless, portal and professional services companies, as well as customer satisfaction studies. Serving a domestic and international clientele of high tech manufacturers, IT professionals, end users and financial executives, TBR provides timely and accurate market research and business intelligence in a format that is uniquely responsive and tailored to clients’ needs. TBR analysts are available to further address client specific issues or information needs on an inquiry or proprietary consulting basis.