The Asia Pacific personal computer market is forecast to grow 20.3 percent in 2010, reaching 114.6 million unit shipments, according to Gartner’s latest forecast. Spending on PCs in Asia Pacific is forecast to grow 12.4 percent in 2010, compared to only 2.9 percent in 2009, due to a sharper decline in average selling prices for PCs in 2009.

“While overall growth in Asia Pacific was strong in 2009, at a country level India and the more mature markets with high PC penetration exhibited weak PC shipments,” said Lillian Tay, principal research analyst at Gartner. “However, the improving worldwide economy should lead to better confidence to invest in 2010, especially in Taiwan, South Korea and Singapore. Similarly in India, PC buyers are now more confident to spend, with employment on the upswing.”

In 2009, PC unit growth was spearheaded by China and the South Asian markets. China took 59 percent of all PCs shipped in the region, up from 54 percent in 2008. In 2010, government stimulus programs, including stimulation of domestic consumption, helped to mitigate the adverse effect of the US and European recessions on these export-oriented economies. Gartner expects China to represent 60 percent of all PCs shipped in Asia Pacific and 19 percent of PC shipments worldwide in 2010.