Worldwide PC 2005-2009 Forecast Update: 2006, the Year of Challenges and Opportunities

This IDC study presents an updated (3Q05 actual and annual forecast data up to 2009) look at the worldwide PC marketplace going forward. The data was released on November 28, 2005. This study provides forecast and growth figures for PC shipments at the worldwide level and for key regional markets. Details include units, values, average system prices (ASPs), and compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) for the period from 2004 to 2009. For comparison purposes, the tables in this document also include historical figures from 2002 and 2003.

"We anticipate 2006 worldwide unit shipments to expand by 10.5%. The 2004?2009 CAGR will be 10.6%. The rest of the world (ROW) region will likely remain the fastest-growing geography, essentially driven by markets where PC penetration remains among the lowest. Also, given the participation of emerging and large markets such as China and India, the Asia/Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) region will experience the second-fastest growth rate through 2009. Slowing trends will be felt in the more mature regions such as Western Europe, which could well be the laggard going forward. For the U.S. market, growth will be reduced to mid-to-high single-digit rates. The U.S. market will remain in positive territory, largely due to a massive shift toward mobile PCs and slower decreases on the desktop side due to the emergence of new usage models. The worst performer is likely to be Japan, partly because that market has been ahead of all other regions in the adoption of portable PCs." ? David Daoud, research manager, U.S. Quarterly PC Tracker and Personal Computing program.