Framingham, Massachusetts, USA: With strong fourth quarter shipment growth of 15.7 per cent the worldwide PC market has finished 2003 on a strong note. According to the International Data Corporation, PC shipments for all of 2003 grew by 11.7 per cent to record 154.5 million units, while value grew by 1.2 per cent to $178 billion. This, according to IDC, represents the first annual growth in value since 2000.

Worldwide PC shipments are projected to grow by just over 11 per cent in 2004 and 2005 before slowing to roughly eight per cent through 2008, according to IDC''s Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker. Shipment value is expected to grow by more than five per cent for the next two years, followed by growth of roughly three per cent through 2008.

IDC''s report says that the key trends of 2003 — aggressive pricing, improving business spending, and consistent growth in portables — should keep overall growth in double digits for the next couple of years.

The report notes that portables are back in the reckoning with enterprise spending heading for a slow recovery.

Looking at regional sectors the report notes that growth in the Asia/Pacific sector should remain in double digits throughout the forecast period and that it will lead all other regions again, starting in 2004. For India, it says that a new tax break and continuing government IT programs should support short-term growth while relatively low penetration will continue to support long-term growth.

IDC is the premier global market intelligence and advisory firm in the information technology and telecommunications industries.