The slump in PC sales numbers across the world is not as huge as was first predicted, according to a global information company.

IDC revealed today that desktop and laptop computers only fell by around 3.1 per cent in the three months to June when compared with the previous year, though this is much smaller than the predicted drop of 6.3 per cent.

Single-digit growth, however, was still attributed to the portable PC market, with notebooks and netbooks continuing their growth in popularity over the course of the year, with many small businesses in IT adopting the systems.

Commenting on the results, Loren Loverde, the program director for IDC's Tracker Program, said: "We expect to see more of the same as we enter the busy shopping season of the second half of the year. In the longer term, an expected recovery in the commercial segment should boost growth in 2011."

IDG was founded in 1964 and registered revenues in 2008 of $3.2 billion (£1.947 billion) and has over 13,000 employees around the world.

According to a recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent).