Dell stunned by laptop growth

 

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By Reuters

Posted on 11 Oct 2007 at 10:40

The move to laptops and mobile devices from desktop machines is happening faster than expected, especially in emerging markets, according to Michael Dell.

"The transition to notebooks, mobility has been faster than even the esteemed analysts at Gartner predicted," Dell told a conference organised by technology research firm Gartner.

"I think it's going to continue," Dell said. "The other X factor in this - emerging markets have been going to mobile at a faster rate than anyone anticipated, and you have also this global boom in the economy, particularly out of the US, fueled by small business and consumers who are gobbling up notebooks, so a big priority for us and a big change in how the market is shaped," he added.

Gartner claimed last month that laptops were driving growth for the PC market, helped by low prices and wireless access. The firm predicted that emerging markets would average 18.6% growth this year, compared with 7.0% unit growth for PCs in mature markets.