Intel CEO Sees Business PC Sales Up Next Year: FT

Ageing PCs and Windows 7 will prompt companies to start spending again on computers next year, the CEO of the world's largest chipmaker said in an interview reported by the Financial Times yesterday. Intel's Paul Otellini was quoted as saying: "I think corporations' capital budgets got clamped down fairly aggressively at the end of last year. But in terms of PC refresh I would expect that now to happen in 2010."

His comments underscore growing optimism in the technology industry that next year will see a return of their more profitable business of selling to companies rather than individual consumers. "The fleet of PCs is getting fairly aged; most corporate notebooks are now over four years old, desktops are over five years old, they need to refresh," he told the Financial Times in a video interview.

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Otellini also said the launch of Windows 7 operating system by Microsoft next month, would have a big impact on corporate spending. "I think that Windows 7 will help drive a refresh in corporations and we're cautiously optimistic we'll see that in 2010." (Reuters)