Global IT spending is expected to reach $3.6 trillion in 2011, a 5.6% increase from $3.4 trillion in 2010, resulting in raised outlook for 2011 from previous forecast of 5.1% by market research firm Gartner.
The research firm has added media tablets, such as the iPad, to its computing hardware spending estimates beginning this quarter. Gartner said the addition has increased its computing hardware growth outlook from 7.5% to 9.5% for 2011.
Global media tablet spending is estimated to reach $29.4bn in 2011, up from $9.6bn in 2010; and global spending on media tablets is expected to increase at an annual average rate of 52% through 2015.
Gartner research vice-president Richard Gordon said the addition of media tablets, reinforced by an expected additional decline in the value of the dollar, accounts for the increase in top-line growth.
"Absent the addition of media tablets, the forecast would have slightly declined in constant-dollar terms; however, with their addition, there’s virtually no change in underlying forecast growth at the level of overall IT," Gordon said.
"The Middle East share of global IT spending is approximately 2%; while the political unrest affecting many countries in the region may well dent IT spending levels, any impact would be insignificant at the global level."
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