Emerging markets to drive PC growth

Asia - The per capita PC penetration in emerging markets is expected to double by 2013 with the expansion of broadband and wireless connectivity, says Gartner Inc.

Currently, 58% of the world's installed PCs are in mature markets such as Japan and US, but Gartner believes emerging markets will claim an increasingly greater share and propel strong double-digit PC growth.

"Rapid penetration in emerging markets is being driven by the explosive expansion of broadband and wireless connectivity in those markets, the continuing fall in PC average selling prices and the general realisation that PCs are an indispensable tool for advancement," said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner. 

he added that the huge difference in per capita PC penetration between mature and emerging markets reveals the gap in average living standards.

"But rapid economic development across emerging markets is not only narrowing the differences in average living standards, it's closing the difference in per capita PC penetration between mature and emerging markets," Shiffler added. 

Luis Anavitarte, research vice president at Gartner expects emerging markets to account for roughly 70% in the next billion installed PCs by early 2014, as compared to the mature market, which accounted just fewer than 60% of the first billion.

Currently, mature markets only account for 15% of the world's population.