Gartner predicts 19.7 percent growth in PC shipments, further shift to notebooks

Worldwide PC shipments are projected to total 366.1 million units in 2010, a 19.7 percent increase from 305.8 million units shipped in 2009, according to the latest preliminary forecast by market research firm Gartner Inc. (Stamford, Conn.). At the same time worldwide PC spending is forecast to reach $245 billion in 2010, up 12.2 percent from 2009.

This forecast is more optimistic than Gartner's December 2009 forecast, which anticipated 13.3 percent growth in PC shipments in 2010 and only a 1.9 percent growth in spending.

Gartner now anticipates all regional markets will return to growth and exhibit more normal seasonality in 2010. The market will remain robust with unit growth continuing to increase strongly over the next few years as home PC demand accelerates and professional replacements rise in the recovery from the global recession.