Although demand for laptops and netbooks is growing, a steep decline in sales of desktop computers could result in an 11.9% drop in overall PC shipments in 2009, according to a new study from Gartner.
PC shipments previously had their worst decline in 2001 when the total number of units fell 3.2%, Brandon Bailey reports.
Gartner research director George Shiffler says that many computer
users are putting off new purchases or opting for lower-priced models. He expects the average selling price for PCs will drop about 10% in the coming year.
Gartner says portable computer
shipments will increase 9%, with desktops declining by almost 32%. Sales of netbooks "will cushion the overall PC market slowdown, but they remain too few to prevent the overall market's steep
decline," it says.
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