This IDC study tracks and forecasts the penetration rates and total shipments of 31 PC interfaces and technologies embedded in PCs out to 2010. Please see the table of contents for the complete list of interfaces and technologies tracked.

"The supplanting of older interfaces by the latest industry offerings is a game of timing, listening to customers, and observing market dynamics. For the purposes of this study, we will define interface as ports or other technologies embedded in PCs connecting the systems to devices or networks. If an interface is removed too early, OEMs will hear about it from customers, as was the case recently with 1394 ports in notebooks. If an interface is removed too late, OEMs will needlessly add cost to a system as well as restrict design flexibility, something particularly crucial in tiny desktops and ultraportable notebooks. Still, the benefits of achieving greater cost efficiencies and improving the performance of systems will continue to be powerful motivations driving OEMs to make changes." ? Richard Shim, senior research analyst with IDC's Personal Computing team.