The Bulgarian PC market fell 21.5% last year as consumer confidence faltered in the teeth of the recession. Analyst firm, IDC, has reported that the desktop sector was hardest hit with shipments down 29.5% year on year as both business and domestic users kept their wallets in their pockets. Driven primarily by consumer demand, the portable PC market contracted by 16.2% while the x86 server market surprisingly bucked the trend, with shipments falling by only 8.2%.
The general economic crisis has been cited as the cause of dwindling sales and that was even seen in the final quarter of the year - a traditionally strong period in Bulgaria because of pre-Christmas sales.
Evelin Stoev, chief analyst with IDC Bulgaria has suggested that the Bulgarian government could stimulate demand by investing in local IT projects. However, with the International Monetary Fund expecting Bulgaria's economy to grow by just 0.2% this year, there is little room for manoeuvre.
Bas Bakker, the IMF's mission chief, has commented that the global recovery is boosting Bulgarian exports but domestic demand is projected to decline further as the country's EU accession investment boom continues to unwind.
I've been writing about technology for nearly 20 years, including editing industry magazines Connect and Communications International. In 2002 I co-founded Futurity Media with Anthony Plewes. My focus in Futurity Media is in emerging technologies, social media and future gazing. As a graduate of philosophy & science, I have studied futurology & foresight to the post-grad level.