gartner

Personal computer sales fell 1.1% in the first quarter compared to the same period in 2010, according to industry research firm Gartner, but while its report lists a few possible reasons for the decline, none are compelling, and the drop is unlikely to presage a serious decline in PC sales.

Gartner has lowered its laptop-sales forecast for this year and the next, predicting that the popularity of tablets and smartphones will slow laptop sales. Gartner expects worldwide laptop sales to increase 11% this year and and 14% next year, down from a previously forecast 16$ and 15%, respectively.

The outlook for IT spending this year is looking up. Research firm Gartner said Thursday it expects revenue to grow 5.1% from 2010, an increase from a previous forecast of 3.5% growth.

The U.S. is hardly alone in losing work to cheaper skilled labor in foreign countries. Australia, Canada and Israel, among others, have dropped off Gartner's list of the top 30 countries for outsourcing. Here's where IT and business-processing jobs are heading.

IT trends researcher Gartner cut its forecast for 2011 worldwide PC shipment growth from 18.1% to 15.9%. That's still very robust for PCs, but it's an early sign that the iPad's wild popularity is taking a toll on the rest of the computer industry.

Research company Gartner lowered its forecasts for global computer shipments in 2010 and 2011, saying that growing demand for tablet devices will eat into personal computer sales. PC shipments this year will rise 14.3% to 352 million units, Gartner said, according to Reuters. Gartner forecast...

Apple's iPhone operating system software stumbled in the third quarter, losing year-over-year quarterly market share for the first time, as Google's Android mobile operating system pulled further ahead, according to a Gartner Research report released Wednesday.

Shipments of personal computers missed forecasts in the third quarter, increasing by 7.6% rather than the 12.7% industry analysts had expected to see.

Microsoft may need to drop the price of its Windows 7-based smartphones or develop a cheaper version of the handset in order to gain market share in the rapidly growing Android-platform market.

How can you tell that smartphones aren't just for tech geeks and corporate types tethered to their email anymore? When Oprah Winfrey gives Motorola Defys to her whole studio audience, and Wal-Mart says it's launching its own mobile service, you have to say the devices have gone mainstream.