North American PC Software Sales Reach $1.57 Billion in Second Quarter
1995

Home Education Sales Rebound - up 136%
Personal Finance Sales Explode 627%

September 11, 1995 (Washington, DC) - The Software Publishers Association
(SPA) announced today that sales of personal computer application software
in North America reached $1.57 billion in the second quarter of 1995, a
7.9% increase from the second quarter of 1994. Total international sales
increased 18.7%, while combined North American and international sales
increased by 15.3%. Unit sales in North America increased a very strong
47%.

Windows Applications Lead; Macintosh & DOS Applications Both Fall

Sales of Windows applications increased 18.9% for the quarter, reaching
$1.16 billion. DOS application sales are still in free-fall, and now are
smaller than Macintosh sales--DOS sales of $167 million fell 32% from the
year-ago quarter. A total of $226.5 million in Macintosh applications were
sold in the quarter, a 7% decline from the same period in 1994. Macintosh
databases, and the languages & tools category were each down by half, with
significant declines in the graphics categories for the quarter as well.
New versions of several applications are expected imminently, and this may
well have held down shipments.

Entertainment & Personal Finance Lead First Half Sales Growth

Although the business/productivity categories remain the largest in dollar
volume, home applications were once again the growth leaders in sales
through June. Entertainment software sales rose 109% to $291.8 million,
and personal finance swept through the tax season with a spectacular 627%
growth in Q2 to $212 million for the first half.

Home Education, including reference works, recovered from its decline in Q1
95, but sales in the first half are still only 1.5% above those in the
same period 1994. Both Windows and Macintosh sales are significantly
higher, but, with its $43 million loss, DOS sales fell by nearly
three-quarters, dragging the total down sharply. "The consumer software
industry continues to drive growth rates as home users find new
productivity gains and entertainment value from their PCs," said Ken
Wasch, SPA President. "The rapid growth in the use of personal computers
in American homes is creating millions of new customers for software. The
industry is responding, and the sales results in the entertainment and
home education categories speak for themselves."

The Software Publishers Association is the principal trade association of
the PC software industry. Its 1,160 members represent the leading
publishers in the business, consumer, and education markets. The SPA has
offices in Washington, DC, and Paris, France. SPA press releases are
available on-line through CompuServe (GO:SPAFORUM), and the SPA home page
at www.spa.org, as well as through the Fax-On-Demand system at
1-800-6376823.

Software Publishers Association
1730 M St, Northwest, Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20036
202-452-1600,  Fax: 202-223-8756
 
 =========================================================
 From the 'New Product News' Electronic News Service on...
 AOL (Keyword = New Products) and Delphi (GO COMP PROD)
 =========================================================
 This information was processed from data provided by the
 company/author mentioned. For additional details, please
 contact them directly at the address/phone# indicated.
 Trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
 =========================================================
 All submissions for this service should be addressed to:
 BAKER ENTERPRISES,  20 Ferro Dr,  Sewell, NJ  08080  USA
 Email: rbakerpc@delphi.com  -or- RBakerPC (on AOL/Delphi)
 =========================================================
