Best Buy Says Reports of Notebook Sales Declines Grossly Exaggerated

In a statement today, Brian J. Dunn, CEO of Best Buy, likened recent rumors of a pending decline in notebook and netbook sales to a legendary Mark Twain-ism:

"The reports of the demise of these devices are grossly exaggerated," Dunn said. "While they were fueled in part by a comment in the Wall Street Journal that was attributed to me, they are not an accurate depiction of what we're currently seeing. In fact, we see some shifts in consumption patterns, with tablet sales being an incremental opportunity. And as we said during our recent earnings call, we believe computers will remain a very popular gift this holiday because of the very distinct and desirable benefits they offer consumers. That's why we intend to carry a broad selection of computing products and accessories to address the demand we anticipate this season."

Although Dunn has declared the situation grossly exaggerated, notebook sales have reached negative growth for the first time ever.