“Worldwide PC shipments will tumble by the largest percentage ever recorded in history this year, with desktops hit especially hard as mini-notebooks boost growth for mobile PCs, according to Gartner,” Zach Spear reports for AppleInsider. “PC shipments are predicted to total 257 million units this year, which would represent an 11.9 percent decline from 2008, the firm said in a report released Monday morning. That would erase the previous worst decline in 2001 when shipments fell 3.2 percent.”
“The research firm believes desktops will decline a staggering 31.9 percent from 2008 while mobile PCs will see help from growth in the mini-notebooks (‘netbooks’) sector. However, the average price for a netbook is expected to reach $399 even as screen sizes increase, down from a 2008 average of $450, meaning it won’t be enough to stem the market’s decline. Netbooks will make up a small 8 percent of total PC shipments,” Spear reports.
“Mature markets are currently the strongest market for the small, low-powered machines, but even emerging markets may have interest as prices keep falling. Netbooks excluded, laptops in general will grow just 2.7 percent, according to the report,” Spear reports.
Spear reports, “What this will mean for Apple is not yet known, but the Cupertino-based company did enjoy Mac sales growth last quarter despite a contracting overall market… Apple’s strength in portables is seen as a positive for its Mac business, which Wall Street analysts have predicted will essentially tread water in 2009… Apple executives have repeatedly denied any interest in competing for netbook sales.”
Full article here.
