HP Sold Most NT-Based Workstations in ’97

Hewlett-Packard Co. sold the most Windows NT-based computer workstations worldwide in 1997, according to a report by market researcher Dataquest. For the fourth quarter, Hewlett-Packard led the industry in units sold, with a 49% market share, and in revenue, with 41%, the report said. Second-place Compaq Computer Corp. had a 17% market share in both units sold and revenue. For the year, HP sold 154,250 units, for a 40% market share, and generated $777 million in revenue, for a 32% share. Compaq captured 22% in both categories. Windows NT is an operating system for networked computers published by software titan Microsoft Corp. Palo Alto-based HP said it sold 89,000 NT-based workstations in the fourth quarter, compared with just 18,388 a year earlier, illustrating the growing popularity of NT in the face of the dominant Unix operating system. HP shares fell $1.31 to close at $60.25 on the NYSE.