PC Shipments up 20 percent in 2010 – Gartner

The analyst is predicting a 19.7 per cent increase from 305.8 million units shipped in 2009, with global PC spending forecast to reach $245 billion (£163 billion) in 2010, an increase of 12.2 per cent from 2009.

This forecast is significantly more optimistic than the analysts' December 2009 view, which predicted 13.3 per cent growth in shipments and 1.9 per cent growth in spending in 2010.

The easing of the economic crisis and the drive to mobile computing are driving demand.

According to Gartner, "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."

"The PC industry will be overwhelmingly driven by mobile PCs, thanks to strong home growth in both emerging and mature markets," said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner. "