Gartner is reporting that x86-based server sales slowed during the fourth quarter of 2006, a trend that the analyst firm is attributing to the virtualization trend and customers waiting for faster, cheaper quad-core processors. Worldwide shipments of x86 servers grew by 8.9 percent overall in 2006 while revenue only grew 2 percent when compared with 2005. As expected, HP remained the king of the hill in terms of the number of servers shipped but IBM led in revenue. "Most of [the] slowdown seems to be attributable to a lengthening of the sales cycle due to the anticipated introduction of quad-core x86 processors, with some lesser impact from x86 server virtualization," HP said, in a statement.

For more on the state of the x86 server market:
- see this ComputerWorld article