Gartner has estimated that to date have exceeded one billion computers in active use.
Growth continues with approximately 12 per cent per year, and at this rate the world will have exceeded two billion PCs by 2014.
Gartner said that does not relate to the quantities of computers sold, as well as they do in their periodic reports on the status of suppliers. In it latest report, the consultant has focused on the number of PCs in use.
Most computers in use are in the industrialized world, but the penetration of PC has established itself firmly in developing countries. It is precisely this last factor that leads to double the forecast growth.
“The market developed as the United States, Eastern Europe and Japan now account for 58% of computers in use worldwide,” said George Shiffler, head of analytical Gartner in a press release. According to Gartner, this situation will change drastically in the coming years.
“We expect the number of computers in relation to the number of people in developing countries will double by the year 2013,” Shiffler said.
Suppliers of computers have understood that there was strong growth in developing countries, and several initiatives are underway to put in those markets economic PCs, so that the population of these countries can be part of technological development.
The project “One Laptop Per Child” (OLPC), is the best known, but traditional suppliers also see this market as very important.
“While mature markets in the industrialized world accounted for slightly less than 60% of these early billion, we expect the markets of developing countries will account for 70% of the next one billion”, said Luis Anavitarte, director analytical at Gartner.
Gartner also expects that approximately 180 million computers will be replaced this year, which constitutes about 16% of the machines installed.
