Tarot readers at the prediction department of beancounters IDC claim that the number of PCs shipped globally will increase.

The diviners claim that strong demand from emerging markets and an appetite for portable computers, including laptop PCs, prompted IDC to raise its global PC shipment forecast is behind the boost. IDC now expects worldwide PC shipments to grow 15.2 percent this year to 310 million units, up from a previous forecast of 12.8 percent growth.

Shipments of portable computers will rise 34.5 percent this year to 145.3 million units, IDC said, while shipments of desktop PCs and x86 servers will grow just 2.2 percent to 164.7 million. Despite economic jitters caused by high oil prices, credit troubles in the U.S. and rising inflation, IDC said PC sales should increase.

The report said that in the U.S. commercial market companies will not replace PCs for a while, but the consumer market remains relatively healthy; and the overall U.S. PC market will chug along at decent levels.