Worldwide IT spending is projected to total $3.7 trillion in 2013, a 2
percent increase from 2012 spending of $3.6 trillion, according to the
latest forecast by Gartner, Inc. Last quarter, Gartner's forecast for
2013 IT spending growth in U.S. dollars was 4.1 percent. The 2.1
percentage point reduction mainly reflects the impact of recent
fluctuations in U.S. dollar exchange rates; growth in constant currency
is forecast at 3.5 percent for 2013, down only slightly from last
quarter.
The Gartner Worldwide IT Spending Forecast is the leading indicator of
major technology trends across the hardware, software, IT services and
telecom markets. For more than a decade, global IT and business
executives have been using these highly anticipated quarterly reports to
recognize market opportunities and challenges, and base their critical
business decisions on proven methodologies rather than guesswork.
"Exchange rate movements, and a reduction in our 2013 forecast for
devices, account for the bulk of the downward revision of the 2013
growth," said Richard Gordon, managing vice president at Gartner.
"Regionally, 2013 constant-currency spending growth in most regions has
been lowered. However, Western Europe's constant-currency growth has
been inched up slightly as strategic IT initiatives in the region will
continue despite a poor economic outlook."
The forecast for spending on devices in 2013 has been revised down from
7.9 percent growth in Gartner's previous forecast to 2.8 percent (see
Table 1). The decline in PC sales, recorded in the first quarter of
2013, continued into the second quarter with little recovery expected
during the second half of 2013. While new devices are set to hit the
market in the second half of 2013, they will fail to compensate for the
underlying weakness of the traditional PC market. The outlook for tablet
revenue for 2013 is for growth of 2.8 percent, while mobile phone
revenue is projected to increase 7.4 percent this year.
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Table 1. Worldwide IT Spending Forecast (Billions of U.S.
Dollars)
|
|
|
|
|
2012 Spending
|
|
|
|
2012 Growth (%)
|
|
|
|
2013 Spending
|
|
|
|
2013 Growth (%)
|
|
|
|
2014 Spending
|
|
|
|
2014 Growth (%)
|
Devices
|
|
|
|
676
|
|
|
|
10.9
|
|
|
|
695
|
|
|
|
2.8
|
|
|
|
740
|
|
|
|
6.5
|
Data Center Systems
|
|
|
|
140
|
|
|
|
1.8
|
|
|
|
143
|
|
|
|
2.1
|
|
|
|
149
|
|
|
|
4.1
|
Enterprise Software
|
|
|
|
285
|
|
|
|
4.7
|
|
|
|
304
|
|
|
|
6.4
|
|
|
|
324
|
|
|
|
6.6
|
IT Services
|
|
|
|
906
|
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
926
|
|
|
|
2.2
|
|
|
|
968
|
|
|
|
4.6
|
Telecom Services
|
|
|
|
1,641
|
|
|
|
-0.7
|
|
|
|
1,655
|
|
|
|
0.9
|
|
|
|
1,694
|
|
|
|
2.3
|
Overall IT
|
|
|
|
3,648
|
|
|
|
2.5
|
|
|
|
3,723
|
|
|
|
2.0
|
|
|
|
3,875
|
|
|
|
4.1
|
Source: Gartner (July 2013)
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Enterprise software spending is on pace to grow 6.4 percent in 2013.
Growth expectations for customer relationship management (CRM) have been
raised to reflect expanded coverage into e-commerce, social and mobile.
Expectations for digital content creation and operating systems have
been reduced as software as a service (SaaS) and changing device demands
impact traditional models and markets.
Telecom services spending is forecast to grow 0.9 percent in 2013. Fixed
broadband is showing slightly higher than anticipated growth. The impact
of voice substitution is mixed as it is moving faster in the consumer
sector, but slightly slower in the enterprise market.
More-detailed analysis on the outlook for the IT industry will be
presented in the webinar "IT Spending Forecast, 2Q13 Update: The Impact
of Mobility on Spending." The complimentary webinar will be hosted by
Gartner on July 9 at 11 a.m. EDT. During the webinar, Gartner analysts
will discuss their latest thinking on IT spending growth through 2017.
To register for the webinar, please visit http://my.gartner.com/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=202&mode=2&PageID=5553&resId=2481515&ref=Webinar-Calendar
Gartner's IT spending forecast methodology relies heavily on rigorous
analysis of sales by thousands of vendors across the entire range of IT
products and services. Gartner uses primary research techniques,
complemented by secondary research sources, to build a comprehensive
database of market size data upon which to base its forecast. The
Gartner quarterly IT spending forecast delivers a unique perspective on
IT spending across hardware, software, IT services and
telecommunications segments. These reports help Gartner clients
understand market opportunities and challenges. The most recent IT
spending forecast research is available at http://www.gartner.com/technology/research/it-spending-forecast/.
This Quarterly IT Spending Forecast section includes links to the latest
IT spending reports, webinars, blog posts and press releases.
About Gartner
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology
research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related
insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every
day. From CIOs and senior IT leaders in corporations and government
agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and
professional services firms, to technology investors, Gartner is a
valuable partner in more than 13,000 distinct organizations. Through the
resources of Gartner Research, Gartner Executive Programs, Gartner
Consulting and Gartner Events, Gartner works with every client to
research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of
their individual role. Founded in 1979, Gartner is headquartered in
Stamford, Connecticut, USA, and has 5,500 associates, including 1,402
research analysts and consultants, and clients in 85 countries. For more
information, visit www.gartner.com.
Copyright Business Wire 2013