Growth of global PC market forecast to ease

The global personal computer market will grow at a more modest pace in 2005 as the economic recovery slows, according to a report by a market research firm.

IDC yesterday forecast worldwide PC shipments will grow by 10.1 percent to 195.1 million, compared with expected growth of 14.5 percent this year and 177.2 million units shipped. The growth rate was 11.9 percent in 2003 and 1.9 percent in 2002.

The Framingham research firm said its 2005 forecast is buoyed by strong third-quarter results and continued PC demand in the commercial sector, which is expected to post 11.3 percent growth in PC shipments next year, compared with consumer growth rates of 8 percent worldwide and just 5.1 percent in the United States. In the third quarter, growth in worldwide consumer PC shipments slipped to less than 8 percent, down from a peak of more than 25 percent in the year-ago quarter.

IDC's forecast came out a day after International Business Machines Corp. said it is selling a majority stake in its desktop and laptop computer business to Beijing-based Lenovo Group Ltd., China's biggest computer maker.

Another market research firm, Gartner Inc., last month forecast further PC industry consolidation. Gartner forecasts PC unit growth will average 5.7 percent annually from 2006 through 2008, compared with average growth of 11.3 percent from 2003 through 2005.