(By Balachander) A new report said U.S. consumer electronics retail sales for Black Friday fell nearly 6 percent, pointing to industry struggles and weak outlook for rest of holiday season.
According to market research company NPD Group, the fall in sales on Black Friday was "steeper than anticipated" and follows loss of nearly 4 percent last year.
Notebook PCs continued their struggle as units fell 10 percent, while sales of Apple (AAPL) notebooks were flat and Windows notebooks declined 10 percent, NPD said.
Android (GOOG) tablets registered a 177 percent surge, though their average selling prices (ASPs) sharply dropped to $151 from $219.
Flat-panel TV unit volume grew 4 percent, though revenue decreased 6 percent as ASPs fell to $333 from $367.
Windows 8 represented 89 percent of notebook sales with an ASP of $368, and touchscreens accounted for 3 percent of sales with an ASP of $668.
"Even though this holiday's outlook remains tentative at best, the prospects for next year, (when many of these declining categories will have a much smaller impact on the market,) looks much more promising," NPD said.
NPD noted that consumer electronics excludes: Amazon Kindle products, iPad, Surface, mobile phones, and video games.