Sales of personal computers in the Asia Pacific, excluding Japan, should grow 16 percent this year after a strong rebound in the fourth quarter of 2009, IDC industry monitor said on January 19. IDC said in a statement PC sales rose 32 percent in the three months to December last year from the same period in 2008, powered by strong demand for portable computers.
The global financial crisis that struck in the third quarter of 2008 hammered family and company budgets, leading to a collapse in demand for consumer goods.
For the whole of 2009, sales of personal computers in the Asia Pacific climbed 14 percent over the previous year, but still far short of the 22 percent growth achieved in 2007, IDC said. "It's reassuring to see the market getting up on its feet so quickly, although that was of course being compared to a dismal fourth quarter 2008 period during the global financial crisis," said IDC analyst Bryan Ma. IDC said it expects regional PC sales to grow 16 percent this year and expand by 18 percent in 2011.