Strong demand in the Asia-Pacific region, together with unexpectedly healthy sales in the US, will lead to a rebound in shipments of 3% in 2002, forecasts IDC. This compares with a 5.2% fall in shipments during 2001. For 2003, IDC predicts that PC shipments will rise by 10.9%.

However, the improvements will not be immediate. During the first quarter of 2002, year-on-year unit shipments are likely to fall further, while unit shipments for the second quarter of 2002 are likely to be flat compared to the same quarter a year ago.

PC shipments will start to take-off in the third and fourth quarters of this year, says IDC, when increases in unit shipments could be as much as 10% compared with the corresponding periods in 2001.

IDC says it expects the recovery to boost both sectors of the PC market – consumer and corporate. However, the predictions conflict with a recent survey of Fortune 1000 IT executives by investment bank Goldman Sachs, which revealed that these companies are continuing to cut back on technology spending.