The number of PC's in use world-wide will double to two billion within six years, research firm Gartner said in a study. The study found that the number of PC's in use grows by some 12 percent a year, while about 180 million PCs, or approximately 16 percent of the world-wide installed base, will be replaced this year.
Most of the growth is coming from emerging markets, the study found. "Mature markets such as the US, Western Europe and Japan currently account for 58 percent of the world's installed PCs, but these markets only account for 15 percent of the world's population," said Gartner analyst George Shiffler in a statement.
"We expect per capita PC penetration in emerging markets to double by 2013. Rapid penetration in emerging markets is being driven by the explosive expansion of broadband and wireless connectivity in these markets and the continuing fall in PC average selling prices."