Worldwide growth for Q4 pc shipments 'strongest in seven years'

According to preliminary reports by Gartner, worldwide pc shipments surpassed 90million units in Q4 of 2009, an increase of 22.1% year on year. It was the strongest quarter over quarter growth rate the worldwide pc market has experienced in the last seven years. However, these numbers are compared to a very weak quarter a year ago due to the economic downturn. Mikako Kitagawa, principal analyst at Gartner, believes these preliminary results indicate the recovery of the pc market on a global level. Kitagawa said: "The US and Asia/Pacific had already shown positive indicators last quarter, however the fourth quarter 2009 results were more concrete evidence of the recovery. The Europe, Middle East and Africa region entered the economic downturn later than the US and Asia/Pacific, so it has been slower to recover. The EMEA region returned to positive shipment growth for the first time in three quarters, and Latin America and Japan also recorded shipment increases." According to Kitagawa, shipment growth was largely driven by low priced consumer mobile pcs, both in regular notebooks and mini notebooks. He continued: "As economic weakness continued, buyers became extremely price sensitive. Low prices pcs were good enough for many average consumers." Kitagawa also said that demand. Windows 7 was launched during the fourth quarter of 2009. Though the new operating system launch did not create additional pc demand, the launch was a good market tool during holiday sales."