Asia Pacific SMB spending on PCs to reach $9.1 bln in 2005

For 2005, IDC predicts small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the Asia/Pacific region (excluding Japan) to spend a total of $9.1 bln on PCs and slightly over $800 mln on servers. IDC expects SMBs to gradually increase their contribution rate to the region's overall expenditure on PCs and servers from 28% in 2004 to 31% in 2008. 14% of the respondents' computers were notebooks during 2003. In 2004 the percentage increased to a mean level of 15%. Although this growth rate might not look significant, approximately one-third of respondents disclosed their plans to increase this proportion during 2005, with the average increase pegged at 4%. From an IT spending point of view, 2004's contribution rate of IT expenditure on notebooks to the total PC expenditure is tagged at approximately 38%.