PC shipments worldwide rose only 7.3 percent in the fourth quarter, compared with a 15 percent growth rate for the same period last year. IDC attributes the declining growth to corporate buyers purchasing fewer desktops, especially in the more mature markets.
Desktop shipments grew an anemic 2 percent to 138.3 million in 2006, while portables--a category that doesn't include handhelds--jumped 26.3 percent to 82.4 million, according to the report.
Meanwhile, in the U.S. retail sales of notebooks surpassed desktops in 2005.
"In the United States, portable PC shipments will maintain double-digit growth through 2010, but this shift to mobility will not be enough to offset reduced demand for desktops," Doug Bell, IDC personal computing program analyst, said in a statement.
Notebooks to take the lead in 2011
Posted on Saturday, March 24 2007 @ 13:11 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
A report from IDC predicts notebooks will take the lead over desktop PCs by 2011.