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Written by Sharon Gaudin
Source: computerworld.com
Date: June 23, 2008
As the number of PCs in use around the world passed the
1 billion mark, a research firm is estimating that the total will double in just another six years.
Gartner Inc. in Stamford, Conn., released a study today noting that the number of PCs in use worldwide
is now growing at a rate of just under 12% a year. The firm is not counting the number of PCs shipped
every year, but the number of machines it believes to actually be in use.
Gartner analyst Meike Escherich predicted in the report that just over 180 million PCs, or
approximately 16% of the worldwide installed base today, will be replaced this year. A fifth of
those being replaced, he noted, are expected to be dumped into landfills.
The double-digit growth in the installed base is largely coming from expanding emerging markets.
"Mature markets, such as the United States, Western Europe and Japan, currently account for 58% of the
world's installed PCs, but these markets only account for 15% of the world's population," said George Shiffler,
a Gartner analyst, in a written statement. "We expect per capita PC penetration in emerging markets to double by 2013.
Rapid penetration in emerging markets is being driven by the explosive expansion of broadband and wireless connectivity in
these markets and the continuing fall in PC average selling prices."
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