02 Mar 2009

PC shipments 'contract but could create managed application opportunities'

The personal computer (PC) industry is to suffer a decline of 11.9 per cent in shipments during 2009, which could lead businesses to use cost-saving technologies.

Figures from Gartner predict that the total PC shipments will decrease to 257 million units in the next twelve months.

George Shiffler, research director at the company, claims this could be due to users stretching PC lifespans, which could suggest firms are using software-as-a-service and managed applications.

He asserts: "Slower gross domestic product growth will generally weaken demand and slow new penetration, lengthening PC lifetimes will reduce replacements, and supplier caution will keep inventories at historic lows."

Emphasising the importance of the weakening global economy to the PC market, he also suggests there is an increasing level of caution among PC suppliers.

IDC's chief research officer John Gantz recently claimed that the economic crisis could lead to an increase in the uptake of converged communication technologies.

He asserts that no firm is going to transform itself when things are going well and states that business changes often result from a crisis.