Cambridge, Massachusetts (pte/Dec 16, 2004/10:25) - The number of personal computers used worldwide will double by 2010 to 1.3 billion machines, a report by analysts Forrester Research http://www.forrester.com has predicted. According to the research company, the growth will be driven by emerging markets such as China, Russia and India. As the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk reports, more than a third of all new PCs will be in these markets, with China adding 178 million new PCs by 2010. Forrester expects low-priced computers made by local companies to dominate in these areas.

The report by the American technology research firm comes barely a week after IBM sold its PC hardware division to China's top computer maker Lenovo in a deal worth 1.75 billion dollars (1.3 billion euros). "Today's products from Western PC vendors won't dominate in those markets in the long term," said Simon Yates, a senior analyst for Forrester. "Instead, local PC makers like Lenovo Group in China and Aquarius in Russia that can better tailor the PC form factor, price point and applications to their local markets will ultimately win the market share battle," he added.

At present, 575 million PCs are in use globally. According to the study, the United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific will add 150 million new PCs by 2010. Forrester also predicts 80 million new PC users in India and 40 million new users in Indonesia by 2010.
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