PCs and the rest

Shipments of PCs worldwide will grow at a slower pace in 2006 than in 2005, partly because the replacement cycle for desktop PCs has hit a peak, market researcher Gartner said recently

PC shipments in 2006 are expected to reach 234.5 million units, up 10.7 percent compared with 2005. However, PC shipments grew 15.5 percent in 2005, compared with 2004.

Although shipments of mobile PCs are expected to grow strongly in 2006, the deceleration in desktop PC replacements will drag down the overall growth rate, according to Gartner.

Desktop PC shipments are projected to grow just 1.9 percent this year overall, declining 8.6 percent in mature markets while increasing 19.5 percent in emerging markets, according to Gartner. However, mobile PC shipments are expected to grow 31.4 percent worldwide this year.