According to IDC EMEA, Q1 2008 PC shipments recorded robust 19% growth compared with Q1 2007. Notebooks continued to drive growth across the region with shipments recording an increase of over 43% year on year, while desktops suffered from the market contraction in Western Europe and declined by 1.7%, boosting the share of notebooks to over 55% of total EMEA shipments.

Most internet users age 45 or older say content online serves less their needs and interests than those of younger persons, according to a Burst Media. 67.7% of internet users age 45 or older say their daily routine would be disrupted if their online access was taken away for one week (42.9% say “significantly”) - with “the oldest segment looking very much like the youngest segment”. Some 43.9% of those age 55+ surveyed say there would be significant disruption in their lives if internet access were taken away.

1. USA Today, 2,284,219, up 0.3%
2. The Wall Street Journal, 2,069,463, up 0.4%
3. The New York Times, 1,077,256, down 3.9%
4. Los Angeles Times, 773,884, down 5.1%
5. New York Daily News, 703,137, down 2.1%
6. New York Post, 702,488, down 3.1%
7. The Washington Post, 673,180, down 3.6%
8. Chicago Tribune, 541,663, down 4.4%
9. Houston Chronicle, 494,131, down 1.8%
10. The Arizona Republic, 413,332, down 4.7%
11. Newsday, Long Island, 379,613, down 4.7%
12. San Francisco Chronicle, 370,345, down 4.2%
13. Dallas Morning News, 368,313, down 10.6%
14. The Boston Globe, 350,605, down 8.3%
15. The Star-Ledger of Newark, N.J., 345,130, down 7.4%
16. The Philadelphia Inquirer, 334,150, down 5.1%
17. The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, 330,280, down 4.2%
18. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 326,907, down 8.5%
19. Star Tribune of Minneapolis-St. Paul, 321,984, down 6.7%
20. St. Petersburg Times, Florida, 316,007, down 2.1%

76.0% and 73.9% of the 18-24 year and 25-34 year segments, respectively, say online content is aimed at their age groups, according to Burst Media. Most (55.7%) of those age 35-44 also say so. 35.4% of those age 45-54 year say internet content is focused on people their age. The proportions of those 55 or older saying so are significantly less. 75.9% of those age 18-34 years say websites are designed for them. 55.2% of those age 35-45 say so. 36.9% of those age 45-54 say so. Only 19.9% of those 55 or older say websites are designed for people their age.

38.6% of Americans say online advertising is focused on their age group. Only respondents in the 18-24 and 25-34 age groups tend to say online advertising is focused on them: 56.6% and 56.5% say so, respectively, according to Burst Media. Some 43.8% of those age 35-44 say online advertising focuses on people their age; 52.9% of them say it targets younger people - as do 72.5% of those age 45-54 and 83.2% of those 55+. 59.6% say they are typically visiting more websites than a year ago - and that’s the trend for all age groups, including nearly 63% of those 55 or older.

59% of internet users use social media to “vent” about a customer-care experience. 74% of internet users choose companies/brands based on others’ customer-care experiences shared online, according to Society for New Communications Research. 72% research companies’ customer care online prior to purchasing products and services at least sometimes. 84% consider the quality of customer care at least sometimes in their decision to do business with a company. 81% say blogs, online rating systems and discussion forums can give consumers a greater voice regarding customer care, but less than 33% say they believe that businesses take customers’ opinions seriously.

Advertising expenditures for newspaper websites in 2007 increased 18.8%, to $3.2 bln - accounting for 7.5% of all newspaper ad spending last year (up from 5.7% in 2006), according to Newspaper Association of America. Print ad expenditures were down 9.4% in the same period, however, and total (combined print and online) newspaper ad expenditures were down 7.9% for the year.