Computer Sales to See Biggest Drop Since ’01

For the first time since 2001, computer sales are predicted to see a significant drop in sales, according to an analysis by iSuppli, an electronics industry research firm. Shipments are predicted to drop by 4% to 287.3 million units in 2009. In 2001, the industry saw a drop of 5.1%. So what exactly is causing the drop-off in an age in which consumers are increasingly glued to computer-based technologies? It might be logical to blame it on the economy, but principal analyst Matthew Wilkins provides a different theory in explaining that the decline of desktops hasn’t been entirely supplanted by notebook sales. Desktop shipments are expected to decline by 18.1% while notebooks will increase by 11.7%, which will make it the first time that notebooks will surpass desktops for a full year worth of sales. [via Electronista] [Photo: Paul Keller]