IDC revises PC shipment figures

News

Ben Furfie Jun 12 2008, 12:30pm

2008 growth expected to hit 15.2 per cent, up from 12.8 per cent on continued strong demand

Continued strong demand for PCs and laptops have seen market analyst IDC revise its growth predictions for the market, from 12.8 per cent to 15.2 per cent.

The firm is expecting 310 million units to be shipped during 2008, despite widespread fears over rising inflation, the credit crunch and shrinking consumer spending. IDC has put the continued growth down to demand from emerging nations, many of whom are buying a PC for the first time, and consistent demand for laptops.

"The increase is due to the revised outlook for portables in which IDC expects a longer run of elevated portable PC growth than in earlier projections," a spokesperson for the IDC said in a statement.

"Earlier in the year, the US PC industry held its breath regarding the impact of the economic slowdown on PC shipments," said research manager of IDC's personal computing program, Richard Shim. "It's now clear that the [US] commercial market will not see the refresh activity we had previously expected and we have lowered short-term projections as a result.

"Still, the consumer market remains relatively healthy and the overall US PC market will chug along at decent levels – albeit slower than previous forecasts and other regions – while consumer growth continues," he added.