Laptop Sales Hot Enough To Make Up For Desktop Slump

U.S. desktop sales dropped 7.2% on Black Friday compared to the same day last year, according to market research firm Current Analysis. Notebook sales, however, jumped 51.6% year over year. That's especially noteworthy since notebook sales were up 49% in 2005 compared to 2004.

"The strong growth in notebooks reflects the aggressive pricing strategies that manufacturers have undertaken to boost sales during the key holiday selling season, just ahead of the Vista launch," says Samir Bhavnani, research director at Current Analysis.

The strong laptop sales made up for the slumping desktop sales, to push the overall PC market up 22.9% compared to 2005.

Current Analysis also reported that during Black Friday week this year, the average notebook computer sold for $708. That's down 17.3% from $856 last year, and down 32% from $1,045 just two years ago.

Analysts also noted that the average desktop PC sold for $464, down 5.9% from $493 last year.