E-recycling industry facts and statistics

The following are some interesting facts and statistics from information compiled by Micro Alternative Solutions from various organizations including: the Gartner Group, a technology industry research and consultant firm; the International Date Corporation (IDC), a global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets; Entrepreneur Magazine; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; and the Alliance for Gray Market and Counterfeit Abatement (AGMCA).

• More than 200 million PCs were shipped in 2005.
• Worldwide PC unit shipment growth was 15.3 percent in 2005 and projected at 9.3 percent in 2006.
• Global personal computer sales have been projected to grow at 10.5 percent in 2006, compared with 15.8 percent growth seen in 2005.
• The number of portable and business computers shipped in 2005 will be 64.2 million and has been projected to grow to 69.5 million in 2006.
• Countries outside of North America will experience faster growth, essentially driven by markets where PC penetration remains among the lowest.
• The U.S. market will see a massive shift toward mobile PCs and slower decreases on the desktop side due to the emergence of new usage models.

Used computers

• Analysts who track PC life cycles say they’re getting longer, and if a PC runs well for the first 30 days, it will probably outlive its user.
• Sales of new and used equipment through the gray market has topped $40 billion annually.
• Estimates indicate that counterfeit goods and black market sales of stolen goods account for $100 billion in sales each year.
• Demand for used computers in some developing regions of the world is outstripping supplies.
• One in every 12 computers used worldwide is a “secondary PC.”
• About 152.5 million used systems were shipped in 2004.
• Secondary PCs are systems used for more than three months by the primary consumer and then made available to another person.
• For every two new PCs shipped to mature markets in 2005, one secondary PC will be resold.
• Each used desktop requires one hour of human attention to refurbish, reload and handle.