Gartner has forecast a growth of 5.9 per cent for global PC, tablet and mobile phone shipments, with buyer behaviour driven by anytime-anywhere computing.
Pinned at an estimate of 2.35 billion units for 2013, figures will be driven by tablet and smartphone sales.
Though PC orders will decline with 10.6 per cent in 2013 at 305 million units, tablet shipments will increase with 67.9 per cent reaching 202 million units.
The mobile phone market will grow 4.3 per cent, while ultramobile numbers will decrease 7.3 per cent.
Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner, said: “We will also see consumer preferences split between basic tablets and ultramobile devices.”
However, analysts say ultramobiles, including Chromebook and other “clam shell designs”, will be in higher demand as upgrades hit the market.
The mobile market faces challenges with longer lasting devices which lessen more frequent demand.
Atwal said: “The increased availability of lower priced basic tablets, plus the value add shifting to software rather than hardware will result in the lifetimes of premium tablets extending as they remain active in the household for longer.”
Tablets will become more popular with a 67.9 per cent predicted growth rate, with more consumers preferring basic, rather than premium tablets.
Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner, said: “Consumers want anytime-anywhere computing that allows them to consume and create content with ease, but also share and access that content from a different portfolio of products.
“Mobility is paramount in both mature and emerging markets.”
A growing acceptance of bring your own device (BYOD) is driving heightened consumer-owned devices in the computing world, predicted to rise from 65 per cent in 2013 to 72 per cent in 2017.
“This signifies the growing importance of designing for the consumer inside the enterprise,” the report stated.
Released on June 21, the report shows growth percentages as measured and predicted from 2012 to 2014.span>
