Growth returns to PC market

Reports from the second quarter of 2011 suggest that the PC market has experienced modest growth. Market research from International Data Corporation's Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker study reveals that global PC shipments increased 2.6 percent last quarter.

"These preliminary results continue to reflect pressure from competing consumer and business products as well as cautious spending," said IDC senior research analyst Jay Chou.

Declining corporate PC demand may be the result of increased spending on IT solutions, such as virtualization and cloud computing.

According to a separate report from IDC, 46 percent of all enterprise IT spending on new growth will relate to cloud-based servers, web applications, and system infrastructure by 2015.

"Nevertheless, product refreshes and promotions should boost growth in the second half of the year," said Chou.

The strongest demand appears to be coming from the Asia and Pacific region, according to IDC. Despite the distraction of natural disasters, the Japanese PC market experienced 3 percent growth. The remainder of the region collectively experienced impressive double-digit growth, primarily driven by a strong Chinese market.

The study also revealed a shake up among leading manufacturers. Lenovo displaced Acer to claim the number three spot and now has Dell well within its sights.