The number of companies planning to invest in their ERP (enterprise resource planning) systems will drop slightly this year, according to a Forrester Research report, even as IT spending overall is expected to rise.

Worldwide PC shipments were slower than expected during the fourth quarter of 2010, hurt by competition from tablets and a slowdown in consumer spending, IDC said in a study released on Wednesday.

Strong earnings from Dell and Salesforce.com, a positive report on online ad spending and two Internet IPOs this week highlighted underlying strength in the tech sector despite worries about the economy.

The market for microprocessors, the chips that act as calculating engines inside PCs, servers, laptops and other gadgets, slowed during the third quarter as consumer demand slackened, market researcher IDC said Thursday.

Overall server spending in enterprises remains weak in 2010 as companies continue to look for ways to save money following the economic downturn, research firm TheInfoPro said in a study released on Monday.

Despite fears caused by the European debt crisis, spending on technology products and services is set to continue growing around the world, although the pace of growth in Europe overall will be lower, Forrester Research said in a report released Tuesday.

Marketers in the U.S. significantly increased their spending on online display ads in the first quarter, as social networking leader Facebook served up the most impressions of this type of ad, according to comScore.

Gartner has revised its outlook for worldwide IT spending this year, predicting the industry as a whole will see 4.6 percent growth to $3.4 trillion, up from its previous prediction of 3.3 percent growth, according to its latest figures released Thursday.

Citing improved profit margins and a stabilizing IT spending environment, IBM revised its 2009 earnings estimates upward Thursday, even as the company's revenue dropped.

An online auction of tickets for the first commercial A380 flight is nearing an end, with one bidder spending S$153,000 (US$100,380) for a first-class seat on the Singapore Airlines Ltd. flight.

It takes a long time for hospitals to see a return on IT investments, according to a report released this week, which may explain why the industry has long been seen as a laggard in technology spending.

Claiming that IT spending is not contributing to business growth, Gartner said this week that eight out of every ten dollars spent is "dead money".

LG.Philips LCD Co. Ltd. cut production and will review its planned spending on new factories and equipment due to falling prices for LCD (liquid crystal display) panels, the company said late Monday.