Product diversification in the computer industry: a structural analysis

The current tendency towards product differentiation in many fields of manufacturing is generally considered to be a positive phenomenon. What we have attempted to do here is to verify the real degree of diversification that exists within the computer industry, by means of the measurement of global performance for the most widely spread models, calculated using technical specifications available from the market. The available data enable us to evaluate the actual degree of diversification, and to calculate the price/global performance ratio. This ratio is a measure of the relationship between the global performance of any given product and its price, and provides a critical insight into the technical and economic results of product diversification.