2009 Toughest Year for China's PC market

PC sales in China are forecast to grow a slight 3 percent in 2009, a record low, US research house IDC said on Tuesday.

That could mark a major departure from years of PC boom in the country which has enjoyed years of double-digital growth.

Total sales are projected to be only 40.61 million units in 2009. Desktop sales will record a decrease of 6 percent to 24.8 million units, IDC said. In contrast, laptop sales in China are projected to increase 19 percent to 15.8 million units in 2009.

"China's PC market will rebound by 2010 and enjoy a 16 percent year-on-year growth," said Wang Jiping, research manager of IDC's China Personal System Research.