Q3 PC shipments forecast to rise 12.6pc


14 Sep 2007

Total worldwide PC shipments for the third quarter are forecast to come in at 257.5 million units shipped, according to IDC, up 12.6pc on the previous year.

Notebook PCs are forecast to grow 28pc while desktop and x86 servers are projected to grow only 3.8pc in the quarter.

PC sales are strong in Asia-Pac and the rest of the world but the US, Japan and Europe are down slightly and IDC concludes that the focus of growth in the PC industry is in emerging regions rather than developed markets.

Both Asia-Pac and the rest of the world are going to surpass Western Europe in total PC shipment volumes in 2007 and will pass the US in 2009.

“Overall, we should expect to see strong growth for the next several years, with double-digit increases expected through 2009,” said Loren Loverde, director of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.

“The shift to mobility will continue to drive growth, as portable PCs are expected to represent more than 50pc of shipment value during 2007 and more than half of worldwide volume by 2009.

“Portable share of PC Clients will reach 68pc of volume in the United States and Western Europe by 2011, 44pc in Asia-Pac and Rest of World, and 55pc overall,” Loverde added.

Going into 2008, aggressive competition, fast-growing consumer demand and resurgent commercial spending will help fuel growth, explained David Daoud, manager of IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker.

“Acer and Lenovo’s geographic expansion, combined with Dell’s reorganization and HP’s defense of its share gains will make for a dynamic and competitive market. Smaller vendors are likely to face even more pressure going forward as the largest players consolidate share and reposition themselves,” Daoud added.

By John Kennedy