A billion PCs will be in use next year

The number of personal computers in use worldwide will top a billion by the end of next year – and two billion by 2015, says a report from Forrester Research.

It predicts that the annual compound annual growth rate in PC use between 2003 and 2015 will be more than 12 per cent.

Some of the growth can be put down to lower prices but emerging markets such as Brazil, Russia, India, and China will account for more than 775 million new PCs by 2015.

However, the report warns that emerging markets are less predictable than mature ones and tend to force suppliers into risky high-volume launches.

Research director Simon Yates warned that users and people in emerging economies also tend to wait longer before replacing an old model.

The report, Worldwide PC Adoption Forecast, 2007 To 2015, praises schemes like Microsoft's Unlimited Potential, Intel's World Ahead, AMD's 50x15, and One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) for trying to reach reaching untapped markets.