STAMFORD, CT -- A leading research firm upped its 2010 global PC shipments projection to 19.7% growth year-over-year.

Gartner now expects shipments to reach 366.1 million units this year. The firm also raised its PC spending forecast to $245 billion in 2010, up 12.2% from 2009.

The forecasts are well above the firm's December's outlook for 13.3% growth in shipments and 1.9% growth in spending.

Gartner anticipates all regional markets will return to growth and exhibit more normal seasonality in 2010. The market will remain robust with unit growth continuing to increase strongly over the next few years as home PC demand accelerates and professional replacements rise in the recovery from the global recession.

"The PC industry will be overwhelmingly driven by mobile PCs, thanks to strong home growth in both emerging and mature markets," said George Shiffler, research director. "Mini-notebooks are again forecast to boost mobile PC growth in 2010, but their contribution is expected to decline noticeably afterward, as they face growing competition from new ultra-low-voltage ultraportables and next-generation tablets. Desk-based PC shipment growth will be minimal and limited to emerging markets.

"We expect mobile PCs to drive 90% of PC growth over the next three years," Shiffler said. "In 2009, mobile PCs accounted for 55% of all PC shipments; by 2012, we expect mobile PCs to account for nearly 70% of shipments."

Gartner pegged shipments of traditional and next-generation tablet devices worldwide at 10.5 million in 2010. 

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