Laptops fuel strong worldwide PC sales

[Lite]

Strong laptop sales are making this a hot holiday shopping season for PC makers, according to a report from IDC.

In its Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, IDC projects that worldwide PC shipments will increase by 16.7% in the fourth quarter of this year, bolstered by a leap in laptop sales. The growth projection is good news for manufacturers, who probably still vividly remember slogging through a slow second half of 2006. PC growth was 7.9% in the fourth quarter of 2006.

This fourth quarter is expected to fuel 2007's overall growth rate of 14.6%, up from 10.1% in 2006, IDC reported.

"The peak portable growth seen in the third quarter will be difficult to sustain, but it reflects strong demand across regions and segments that will fuel growth going forward," said Loren Loverde, director of IDC's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker, in a statement. "It will be increasingly important for PC vendors to have a strong portable offering to stay competitive as the market continues its rapid shift to mobile computing."

In the third quarter, worldwide laptop shipments grew 37%, a rate that even edged out several major quarters in 2003 and 2005, when growth hit 35% or slightly more.

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[dock98]

i think the laptop for every child has helped those statistics,also i think they are more user friendly and not just for nerds or traveling salesman any more.