Communications and Technology Industry Research

China surpassed the United States to become the world’s largest PC market in the second quarter of 2011, says IDC’s (News - Alert) quarterly report on global PC market.

Today China represents 22 percent of the global PC market's unit shipments compared to the United States’ 21 percent, according to the report.

“Approximately 18.5 million units worth US$11.9 billion shipped in China during the quarter, compared to 17.7 million units worth US$11.7 billion in the U.S,” says the research firm.

By the time 2011 draws to a close, U.S. may regain its number one position because 73.5 million units of PCs are forecast to be shipped in the U.S. this year compared to 72.4 million units in China.

China's market generally contracts after summer promotions in the third quarter, but consumerism picks up in U.S during the holiday season of the fourth quarter, IDC says.

IDC does not expect China to exceed the U.S. in full year shipments until 2012, when 85.2 million units are forecast to be shipped in China and 76.6 million units in the U.S.

"There are of course still risks ahead for China, not just inflation but also the impact of economic conditions in the U.S. and Europe," said Kitty Fok, Vice President for Greater China Research at IDC.

But Kitty believes Chinese government's 12th Five-Year Plan might help large enterprises in various infrastructure verticals to continue buying. And the government’s effort to increase consumer penetration in lower-tier cities may also play in favor of China’s PC vendors.

"China's lead in the PC market is a huge shift that reflects the rising fortunes of emerging markets as well as the relative stagnation of more mature regions." said Loren Loverde, Program Vice President, Worldwide PC Tracker. "While the immediate economic circumstances in the US and other markets had a significant impact on the timing of China's move to the lead, they have not changed the trend, but accelerated it."

IDC clarifies that the term PC includes desktops, portables, mini notebooks and does not include handhelds, x86 servers and media tablets like iPad and Android (News - Alert)-based tablets.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2011, taking place Sept. 13-15, 2011, in Austin, Texas. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. To register, click here.