Message Text: |
Worldwide combined shipments of devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles
and mobile phones) are projected to reach 2.5 billion units in 2014, a
6.9 percent increase from 2013 , according to Gartner, Inc.
However, sales of traditional PCs
will continue to hamper the overall growth of devices, and substitution
from PC to tablet will decline.
"Tablet substitution of notebooks will start to
dissipate from this year onwards as consumers and businesses align the
right device with the right usage pattern. As they do this, we will see
where dedicated devices (such as tablets), or hybrid devices (detachable
or convertible devices), fit in the overall portfolio of devices," said
Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner.
Worldwide Device Shipments by Segment (Millions of Units)
Device Type |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
Traditional PCs (Desk-Based and Notebook) |
296.1 |
276.7 |
263.0 |
Tablets (Ultramobile) |
195.4 |
270.7 |
349.1 |
Mobile Phones |
1,807.0 |
1,895.1 |
1,952.9 |
Other Ultramobiles (Hybrid and Clamshell) |
21.1 |
37.2 |
62.0 |
Total |
2,319.6 |
2,479.8 |
2,627.0 |
Source: Gartner (March 2014)
Mobile phones, the largest segment of the overall device
market, are expected to reach 1.9 billion units in 2014, a 4.9 percent
increase from 2013. The growth in 2014 is projected to come from the
lower end of the premium phone market and the higher end of the basic
phone market. "While the lack of compelling hardware innovation
marginally extended replacement cycles in 2013, we've witnessed an
upgrade path in the emerging markets. Latin America, the Middle East and
Africa, Asia/Pacific and Eastern Europe have all upgraded their phones,
which will help to compensate for mature market weakness in the near
term," said Annette Zimmermann, principal research analyst at
Gartner.
In 2014, the worldwide tablet market is forecast to grow
38.6 percent as overall adoption continues to grow faster in markets
outside North America. "The adoption of tablets has been largely
concentrated in the U.S., with the dominance of Apple. Market dynamics
in other regions are different, as the uptake of lower cost,
smaller, non-branded tablets, becomes more apparent," said Mr.
Atwal.
Worldwide shipments of traditional PCs are forecast to
total 276.7 million units in 2014, a 6.6 percent decline from 2013. "The
traditional PC category continues to decrease, with only about
two-thirds of notebook and desktop replacements remaining within this
category. The majority of the remaining one-third will move to
ultramobiles, while others will not be replaced at all," said Mr.
Atwal.
In the operating system (OS) market), iOS tablet growth
has slowed in North America and Apple will need to reinvigorate its
replacement cycle. Google?s objective is to increase Android?s
footprint, and it is still on target to sell over one billion devices
during 2014.
Worldwide Device Shipments by Operating System (Millions of Units)
Operating System |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
Android |
879,8 |
1,171.0 |
1,358,3 |
Windows |
325,1 |
339,1 |
379,3 |
iOS/Mac OS |
241,4 |
286,4 |
324,5 |
Others |
873,2 |
683,5 |
565,2 |
Total |
2,319.6 |
2,479.8 |
2,627.0 |
Shipments include mobile phones, ultramobiles and PCs
Source: Gartner (March 2014)
|