A RECENT report published by Gartner predicts modest growth globally in the personal computer (PC) market, with global economic uncertainty likely to delay a strong recovery in the next couple of years.
Gartner has said that although a large pool of installed PCs purchased in 1999 and 2000 now require replacement, many owners of PCs are postponing replacement due to uncertain global economic conditions.
Gartner predicted that vendors can continue to expect modest sales through 2003, and that the resulting replacement cycle for PCs could be more elongated than in previous cycles.
In figures released by Gartner, forecasts for PC (desk-based and mobile) unit shipments will grow 7.2 per cent in 2003 and 11.7 per cent in 2004. The 2003 forecast has been increased slightly compared to the previous update released in March 2003, when Gartner projected that 2003 unit growth would be 6.6 per cent.
But continuing global economic uncertainty will likely delay a strong recovery into 2004.
