The milestone was reached in April 2002, about 25 years after the Altair was launched in 1974. That 1 billion number includes desktop and laptop shipments of all chip and PC manufacturers worldwide.
The firm calculates that hitting the 2 billion mark will occur in a much shorter timespan, possibly as soon as 2008. The largest growth markets that will help reach the 2 billion milestone are cited as China, Latin America and Eastern Europe.
