According to research firm estimates, China’s hunger for devouring PCs is finally surpassing that of the U.S. During the second quarter of the year, shipments in China rose 14 percent to 18.5 million while they fell 4.8 percent in the U.S. to 17.7 million.

Speaking to research firm IDC, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that China’s full-year demand for PCs could surpass American demand in 2012. This year, China is expected to buy about a million fewer PCs than the U.S.

Chinese demand for computers, when combined with the country’s 2009 surpassing of the U.S. in auto demand, is yet another sign of its rapid technological and economic growth. Says an analyst at a Tokyo-based research firm:

“This was going to happen sooner or later, just like with the car market, and the time has come. China has a huge population and their income is rising.”

China overtaking U.S. as top market for PCs [San Francisco Chronicle]

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