1.   Also, some customers delayed purchases after the merger with NEC earlier in the year.

2.   Cognos admitted the variety of options to its products is hurting its business because customers are delaying purchases to weigh alternatives.

3.   Customers delayed purchasing some of its marine seismic systems, which are used to find offshore oil deposits, because of problems in obtaining vessels, GeoScience said.

4.   Customers had delayed orders in expectation of the new products, and that now is exacerbated by slowing demand for the machines in general.

5.   EDS, the second-largest computer services company behind IBM, said its corporate customers had delayed purchases, especially for its A.T. Kearney consulting services.

6.   H-P will introduce new workstations next month and said customers may be delaying orders until then.

7.   In the short run, that could depress PC sales even more by causing customers to delay purchases until the first cut goes into effect.

8.   Last week, though, the company said European customers are delaying orders further.

9.   Many customers delayed placing orders, working off bloated steel inventories.

10.   Now chipmakers are finding that their PC customers are delaying or cancelling orders because they are trying to get rid of existing stock before buying more parts.