D Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual companies.
1 Prior to 1992, product class separation for computers is not available.
2 These data are collected on two Current Industrial Report forms, MA35R, "Computers and Office and Accounting Machines (Shipments) andMA36Q, Semiconductors, Printed Circuit Boards, And Other Electronic Components.
3 Product classes 35781 and 35782 have been combined to product class 35784 for 1991.
4 Product class 35783 has been changed to 35789 for 1991.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, through 1992, Current Industrial Report, series MA35R, annual; thereafter,Manufacturing Profiles, series MP, annual; and Internet (released August 2000).

Note: Beginning with the 1997 Current Industrial Report, the data has beenrestructured to better reflect the industry. For the first time, data for personalcomputers and workstations have been broken out. In addition, portable computershave been broken out with some items being published. Previous years' data arenot comparable to 1997.

http://www.census.gov/mcd/index.html

*COMPUTERS AND OFFICE MACHINES

PURPOSE

To provide detailed data on quantity and total value of shipments of computers, and office and accounting machines. TheUnited States Code, Title 13, authorizes this survey and provides for mandatory responses.

COVERAGE

Companies that manufacture computers, magnetic media, and office and accounting machines in the U.S. (most but not all arein SIC 357 and 3695), except small firms (generally less than 10 employees) for which census of manufactures data were fromadministrative records. In 1993, shipments of covered equipment totaled over $58 billion.

CONTENT

Product data are collected for over 100 types of computers, and office and accounting machines. Data at the 7-digit SIC levelinclude quantity and value of shipments.

FREQUENCY

Annually; reported data are for activities taking place during the previous calendar year. Data on computers and office andaccounting machines have been collected since 1953.

METHODS

A mail-out/mail-back survey of 1,750 known manufacturers. Companies are identified from the latest census of manufactures,Standard Statistical Establishment List, and private sources. Firms are contacted using form MA35R. Data may be revised iffirms later provide corrected data. Annual data are compared with data collected from the latest annual survey of manufacturesto reconcile any differences between the two series. No estimates are derived for small firms excluded from the survey.

*Terms

Computers. These automatic data processing units arecapable of:(1)performing arithmetic computations,(2)processing data in accordance with a processing program,(3)immediately storing the processing program and thedata necessary for execution of the processing program,and (4)executing a processing program without humanintervention,on the basis of instructions contained in theprogram,to automatically modify execution by logicaldecision during the performance of processing tasks.

General-purpose computers. A computer designed tosolve a large variety of problems;e. g. ,a stored programcomputer that may be adapted to any of a very large classof applications.

Digital computers. A computer that processes informa-tion represented by combinations of discrete or discon-tinuous data,compared with an analog computer for con-tinuous data. More specifically,it is a device forperforming sequences or arithmetic and logical opera-tions. Still more specifically,it is a stored program digitalcomputer capable of performing sequences of internallystored instructions,as opposed to calculators,on which asequence is impressed manually.

Analog computers. A computer that represents variablesby physical analogies. Thus,any computer that solvesproblems by translating physical conditions such as flow,temperature,pressure,angular position,or voltage intorelated mechanical or electrical equivalent circuits as ananalog for the physical phenomenon being investigated. Ingeneral,it is a computer that uses an analog for each vari-able and produces analogs as output. Thus,an analogcomputer measures continuously;whereas,a digital com-puter counts discretely.

Hybrid computers. A computer designed with both digi-tal and analog characteristics,combining the advantagesof analog as well as digital computers,when working as asystem. Hybrid computers are used extensively in simula-tion process control systems where it is necessary to havea close representation with the physical world. The hybridsystem provides better precision than can be attained withanalog computers and greater speed than is possible withdigital computers,plus the ability to accept input data ineither form.

Special-purpose computers. A special-purpose com-puter is a general-purpose computer programmed and/orconfigured to operate upon a restricted class of problems.

Peripheral equipment for computers. In a data pro-cessing system,any equipment,distinct from the process-ing unit,that may provide the system with outside com-munication or additional facilities. Includes input/outputtypewriters and displays sold as part of a large officesystem. Included are:

Input/output equipment. Terminals include those unitsthat,in addition to their capabilities of displaying data oraccepting data input,are capable of performing otherfunctions such as stamping approvals for bank accountwithdrawals,time stamping,and issuing receipts. A unit isincluded if it meets all of the following conditions:

1. It is connectable to the processing unit either directlyor through one or more other units;

2. It is specifically designed as part of such a system. (Itmust in particular,unless it is a power supply unit,beable to accept or deliver data in a form (code or sig-nals)that can be used by the system. )

Computer storage devices. Storage in addition to the mainstorage of a computer;e. g. ,magnetic tapes,disks,ormagnetic drums. Auxiliary storage usually holds muchlarger amounts of information than the main storage,andthe information is accessible less rapidly. Computer termi-nals. A point at which information can enter or leave acomputer communication network. An input/outputdevice to send or receive data in an environment associ-ated with the job to be performed,capable of transmittingentries to and obtaining output from the computer systemof which it is a part.

Cash registers. Stand-alone electronic devices,includingadding device with cash drawer and excluding terminalsthat have interactive communication capablities. Firmwarebased,fixed or parameterized function devices developedprimarily for cash control,with limited transaction or mer-chandise information as a byproduct.

Fund transfer devices. Devices facilitating the handling ofvarious financial transactions involving the consumer andfinancial institutions. Typically,these devices provide ser-vices such as account status inquiries,transfers of fundsto and from various accounts,withdrawals,deposits,andpayments.

Point-of-sale devices. Devices facilitating the handling ofvarious retail transactions involving the sale,exchange,orreturn of merchandise or service.

Accounting machines. A keyboard actuated machinethat prepares accounting records. A machine that mayread data from external storage media such as cards ortapes,and automatically produces accounting records ortabulations,usually on continuous forms. Calculating machines. Devices requiring manual meansfor entering numerical data for performance of arithmeticoperations. These machines,by nature,require frequentoperator intervention. A calculator uses separate,fixedstorage areas for its programs and for the storage of data. These machines cannot execute programs that modifythemselves during their execution. There are two majorclassifications of these machines:printing calculatingmachines print one or more of the significant elements ofcomputation;nonprinting calculating machines displayone or more of the significant elements of computations. Includes both three-and four-operation printing calcula-tors. Three-operation printing calculators are those incor-porating short-cut multiplication and/or fully automaticmultiplication and division.

Duplicating machines. A machine in which an ink imageon a master is transferred onto a copy paper.

Postage franking machines. Machines that print adesign in place of the postage stamp. The machine has anon-reversible totalling device that adds up the total valueof the postage printed. In addition,the machine can oftenbe used for other printing on the envelope;e. g. ,advertis-ing slogans.

Dictating,transcribing,and recording machines andsystems. Machines that are designed as office machinesfor conference recording,combination dictating,and tele-phone recording used to produce a written record,butexcluding home-type wire and tape recorders. A singlerecording unit with a number of dictating stations shouldbe counted as one unit or system. A system consists of arecorder and a transcribing unit with more than one dictat-ing station.

Standard typewriters. Machines,electric or nonelectric,designed solely for preparation of documents with letterprintlike characters and symbols that are operated manu-ally by consecutive depressing of keyboard keys. A type-writer contains a four-row keyboard,including alpha andnumeric as well as special symbols. It may or may notinclude special attachments to be used in the preparationof addresses or other stencils,braille typing for the blind,and similar materials. In addition,it may or may notinclude special carriages,pin-feed platens,and otherdevices used to increase the speed of the typing on con-tinuous forms. Machines that include accounting registersare excluded.

Bar code. An array of rectangular bars and spacesarranged in a predetermined pattern,following unambigu-ous rules in a specific way,to represent elements of datathat are referred to as characters.

Code reader or scanner. A device that examines a spa-tial pattern,one part after another,and generates analogor digital signals corresponding to the pattern. The majorcomponents of a bar code scanner are a illuminationsource,a photodetector device,and a microcomputer. Afocused light beam is moved across the symbol (barcode),the reflected light is received by the photodetector,which in turn generates a voltage (analog signal)that isproportional to the amount of light reflected by the signal. The signal from the photodetector is conditioned by pre-processor circuitry before being presented to the micro-computer for analysis.

Decoder. An electronic package that receives the signalsfrom the scanner,and then performs the algorithm tointerpret the signals into meaningful data and providesthe interface to other devices.

Optical character recognition (OCR). Relies on a sen-sor to differentiate between light-reflecting backgroundand printed data that do not reflect light. Output from thesensor is fed to a set of recognition logics,and then for-warded to the computer.

Magnetic strip. Records,or encodes,information onto amaterial,using low or high energy electromagneticcharges. These charges or signals can then be read by adecorder that translates them into numbers and charactersfor identification by a computer.

Radio frequency. A system based on the ability of anidentification tag (transponder)to receive radio frequencysignals and output a code to a reader.

Voice recognition. A computer recognizes words i apreprogrammed vocabulary. The operator speaks thewords into a microphone,and the word or phrase is recog-nized by the machine and converted into electronicimpulses for the micro or host computer. Machine vision. Devices used for optical noncontactsensing to receive and interpret automatically an image ofa real scene,to obtain information,and/or to controlmachines or processes.

Image processor. Selects and interprets data to deter-mine an object s position,location,shape,and size.

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