The Windows 7 factor
It looks like the predicted upturn next year will be fuelled by replacements put off this year as well as the effect of the global recession coming to an end. Shiffler doesn't reckon the arrival of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system will be a major factor, however.
"Unless Microsoft mounts a major marketing campaign in support of Windows 7, we think consumers will simply adopt the new OS as they would normally buy new PCs and/or replace old ones," he said. "As for professional users, we still expect them to put off adopting the new OS for at least a year until they have fully tested their applications against it."
While mobile PC unit sales are expected to increase by 4.1 percent this year, the value of those sales is forecast to drop by 12.8 percent as average selling prices for notebooks continue to plummet. Desktop units sales are predicted to fall by 15.7 percent, with spending down by 26.6 percent.