IDC has lowered forecasts for world PC sales in 2005, citing a cautious outlook in the US and delayed recovery in Japan for the adjustment.

Last year PC shipments in the US grew 11 per cent, but this year the market is expected to ease to 7.6 per cent growth. "While IT buyers in the United States have indicated firm intentions to buy in 2005, we have kept the US forecast modest because of what we see as a host of risk factors," Roger Kay, IDC vice president of Client Computing, said. "These factors include a recovery that appears to be getting long in the tooth, a lack of jobs growth, rising budget and trade deficits, persistently high oil prices, a treasury-draining foreign war, rising interest rates, a stock market that continues to move sideways, and record-low household savings rates."

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