8pc growth in PC market forecast for 2003


6 Dec 2002

The International Data Corporation (IDC) is forcasting growth of just over 1pc in worldwide PC shipments in 2002 and more than 8pc growth next year due to strong public sector spending and continued improvement in the consumer market.

Total shipments this year are expected to reach more than 136.2 million, up 1.6pc from the previous year, although total shipments will still be 2.6pc below the market’s peak in 2000. In 2003 and thereafter, IDC expects improvement in the business and consumer sectors, while government spending will slow to reflect reduced budgets. Risks from economic and political factors may also constrain future growth, although the IDC projects shipment growth of 8.3pc in 2003 and 11pc in 2004, before shipments slow again.

Loren Loverde, director of IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, said: “While business spending has been slow to recover, we believe it will pick up in the first half of 2003 and market drivers like portable adoption, wireless networking, broadband adoption, new designs, media convergence and total cost of ownership improvements will support moderate growth.”

For the European markets, the IDC said that despite continued decline in public sector spending, consumer and business spending both beat expectation by recording positive growth in the third quarter. However, even with the improvements, it said total shipments are expected to be down .5pc in 2002 and up less than 6pc in 2003 as PC users in Europe have resisted upgrading older systems.

By Suzanne Byrne