Global PC shipments to grow by a quarter in 2010

Gartner has predicted strong growth in the worldwide PC business

Worldwide PC shipments are expected to grow by 22 per cent in 2010, according to the latest figures from Gartner.

The analyst firm said that shipments will grow to 376.6 million units this year, up from 308.3 million units in 2009. Total revenue is estimated to be $245.4bn (£170bn) in 2010, up 12 per cent on 2009.

The home PC market is likely to see the strongest increases, growing by 29.5 per cent this year, but the professional PC market will grow by just 13.1 per cent, Gartner said.

"PC demand in the consumer segment continues to strengthen even though the global economy remains uncertain. Consumers are now viewing PCs as necessities rather than luxury items," said Ranjit Atwal, a principal research analyst at Gartner.

"In the downturn, PCs remained the electronic device of choice on which to spend household income in mature markets, and we do not expect this to change in 2010 or beyond."

Atwal explained that many companies had delayed hardware upgrades in the past few years, but that these machines will now be showing their age. This is likely to increase business sales sooner rather than later.

"In the professional PC market, the ageing life of PCs will drive replacements. Organisations will find it tougher to further extend PC lifecycles without incurring more costs," he said.

"This, together with the adoption of Windows 7, will generate robust demand in the professional market. Larger businesses expect to start replacements in the second half of 2010, with the majority replaced in 2011. We now expect Windows 7 migration to last through 2012."

Gartner reported that the mini-notebook category is starting to show signs of slowing down. Mini-notebooks will account for 18.6 per cent of mobile PC shipments in 2010, but the share will fall to 13.9 per cent in 2014.

"The mini-notebook segment will be impacted by increasingly competitive ultr a-low voltage products, the decreasing prices of all mobile PCs and the maturing preferences of consumers," said Raphael Vasquez, a research analyst at Gartner.

"Some consumers purchased mini-notebooks based solely on price. Many are now choosing purchases up the price curve rather than at the bottom of it."

Tablets such as the Apple iPad will chip away at mini-notebook sales from 2013 onwards, according to Vasquez, when tablet prices will be lower and their functionality increased.