PC shipments are expected to jump 11 percent in 2004 and 2005 before slowing to about 8 percent through 2008, International Data Corp. said. Shipment value is forecast to increase by more than 5 percent for the next two years, followed by an estimated 3 percent annual boost through 2008.

"PC market recovery seems to be in full swing," IDC analyst Loren Loverde said in a statement. "While some caution remains, the key trends we saw in 2003 - aggressive pricing, improving business spending, and consistent growth in portables - should keep overall growth in double digits for the next couple of years."

Last year ended strongly for PC sales, with shipments jumping 15.7 percent in the fourth quarter, compared to the same period a year ago. The increase slightly beat IDC's forecast of 15.3 percent.

For the full year, shipments increased by 11.7 percent to a record 154.5 million units, while value rose by 1.2 percent to $178 billion. It was the first annual growth in value since 2000.

Conditions favoring strong shipment growth in 2004 include continued consumer spending, despite poor job growth; strong laptop sales, and companies increasing PC spending at a "modest pace," IDC analyst Roger Kay said.

By: DocMemory
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