Flexibility and lower prices are tempting more customers to buy laptops instead of desktop computers, a major computer retailer has reported.
At PC World, sales of laptops outpaced desktops for the first time between April and May this year.
Under half of PC World's customers (45 per cent) bought a desktop computer over the period, compared to 60 per cent for the same period in 2005. The statistics represent a preference for laptops, with more buyers choosing a laptop when they come to upgrade their desktop systems.
PC World attributed the rise in popularity to the increased use of wireless internet connections and the flexibility to watch films or make use of a laptop anywhere in the house. These features have widened the market for laptops away from traditional business users.
Although a report for market forecaster Mintel last year predicted that laptops would be a "major threat" to desktop sales, a spokeswoman for PC World said that they would not become obsolete in the short-term.
"I think this trend towards more laptops will continue, but I do think desktops will continue to co-exist for some time," said Gina Jones.
"The two forms do cater in different ways to the wide variety of different applications that people use their PCs for," she added.
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