Computers sold reaches a billion

Children surf the Internet during a computer fair in Kuala Lumpur in April. PHOTO: AP

The one-billionth computer was sold in April, the Gartner high-tech consultancy announced Sunday.

According to the company, 1 billion PCs have been sold since the mid-1970s.

A quarter of those machines went to consumers, while the reset ended up in corporations.

A vast majority, about 80 percent, were desktop computers, as opposed to portables and laptops.

The consultancy expect the 2-billion PC landmark to come in 2007 or 2008.

"This demand exists because of the power of the PC to leverage intellectual capital, unlocking the capabilities of individuals to succeed and companies to profit," Gartner analyst Martin Reynolds stated in a report

The US received the bulk of those machines -- 38.8 percent, or 394 million, the consultancy said.

A quarter those billion have been shipped into Europe and 11.7 percent were sent to Asia-Pacific countries.

Some 16 percent of those machines were portables, Gartner said. Only 2 percent were servers, machines dedicated to passing data on a network.

The first commercial PCs -- called Altairs -- cost between US$400 and US$600 and were shipped to enthusiasts in 1975.

PC shipments bolted past 600,000 in 1981 with the advent of the IBM PC, aimed at corporate desktops.

Double-digit growth has been a benchmark of the sector, except for 1985 and last year, which saw the only declines in the market.

Analysts expect a decline again this year, as the industry wrestles with consumer markets glutted with machines, and third-world countries which still cannot afford the relatively expensive machines.

Challenges now facing the industry also include implementing long-promised wireless broadband networks and ultra-portable computers that can deliver functions similar to desktops.