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Global sales of personal computers are expected to
increase 10.5 percent in 2007, getting little help from the new
Windows Vista operating system, a market research firm said Tuesday.
Gartner Inc. predicted worldwide
PC shipments rising to 255.7 million units in 2007. But because
prices are falling this will mean only a 4.6 percent rise in
revenues to 213.7 billion dollars, the survey found.
"We expect the market
environment to be much the same over the near term as it has been
recently," said George Shiffler, research director for
Gartner's Dataquest service.
"Emerging markets and mobile
PCs will continue to afford PC vendors their best opportunities for
growth," he said.
"However, falling average
selling prices, slowing replacement activity and further declines in
mature market desk-based PC shipments will keep PC vendors under
pressure to rationalize their operations or exit the market."
Gartner analysts said PC shipments will enjoy, at best, a limited
boost from the release of Microsoft's new operating system, Vista,
launched in January for all customers.
"Vista's effect on PC
shipments ultimately depends on the number of consumers and small
and mid-size businesses that find its new features compelling enough
to buy a new PC," said Mikako Kitagawa, a Gartner analyst.
"While Vista includes a
number of interesting features, these features just don't have
enough 'must have' appeal with the average home and (business) user
to spark a significant rush of new PC sales."
Gartner said it expects a minor
increase in sales to the small number of consumers and small
companies that put off replacing their older systems in anticipation
of Vista's release.
However, the vast majority of
consumers and firms are expected to maintain their gradual pace of
replacement in the next several years.
Vista is forecast to have
virtually no impact on PC shipments to larger businesses in 2007,
Gartner said. And Vista adoption among big companies is expected to
lag behind that of consumers and small- and medium-sized firms.
Gartner analysts expect large
businesses to delay widespread adoption of Vista until at least the
middle of next year.
-- AFP
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