Sales of PCs during the third quarter of 2009 showed positive growth after three consecutive quarters where shipments dropped.
That’s according to market research company IDC. It said that consumer portables drove much of the growth, with shipments up by 33.5 percent from the same period last year.
Desktop demand stayed weak – people continue to move to notebooks away from desktops, and commercial PC sales also showed signs that the decline in their sales is slowing.
Netbooks grew by 37 percent compared to the previous calendar quarter, and held market share of 28 percent – up from 14 percent in the same quarter last year.
IDC predicts that overall the market will have grown by 1.3 percent and next year sales to emerging regions will mean double digit growth for the entire market.
Jay Chou, an analyst for IDC’s PC market, said that vendors had competed hard to grab back-to-school and holiday demand. “We’re seeing aggressive promotions and expect innovations leveraging new technologies, including ultra-thin designs, touchscreens and LED panels.”
Commercial desktops will grow because there’s an aging installed base of PCs to replace. IDC estimates the combination of the recovering commercial market and a good consumer market means double digit growth will continue through 2013.
