Shipments of laptops rose by 43.4 per cent in the first three months of 2010, compared to the same period last year, according to market research company Gartner. A large part of the growth was due to a 71 percent bump in netbook sales, which Gartner doesn't expect will be affected by the arrival of Apple's iPad and other tablets.

Expanding PC sales in emerging market is increasing the rate of software piracy, according to a recent study by industry watchers.

Apple will report selling another record number of Macs in the final quarter of 2009 when it unveils its financial figures later this month, a Wall Street analyst said Thursday in a note to clients.

Dell has delayed the closing of a plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, by three months because PC demand is rising, the company said on Tuesday.

Windows 7 could inspire businesses to begin spending money on PC upgrades again because it repairs major problems enterprise users had with Vista when it was released nearly three years ago, analysts said this week.

Microsoft Corp.'s claim that customers pay a US$3,400 "Apple Tax" when they buy Macs rather than Windows-based PCs is "silly" and "stupid," an analyst who follows Apple Inc. said Friday.

PC microprocessor shipments slowed in the fourth quarter and will continue to decline this year, according to an IDC survey released on Wednesday.

Mac retail sales in the US last month fell 1 percent from a year ago, even as sales of Windows PCs climbed 7 percent, market research company NPD Group reported Tuesday.