Global devices shipment to reach 2.4 billion units

The combined shipment of devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) are projected to reach 2.4 billion units globally in 2014, a 4.2 per cent increase from last year.

After declining 9.5 per cent in 2013, the global PC market (desk-based, notebook and premium ultramobile) is on pace to contract only 2.9 per cent in 2014, according to a study by global research and analysis firm Gartner.

"2014 will be marked by a relative revival of the global PC market. Business upgrades from Windows XP and the general business replacement cycle will lessen the downward trend, especially in Western Europe," said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner.

"This year, we anticipate nearly 60 million professional PC replacements in mature markets," Atwal added.

The traditional PC market (desk-based and notebook) will follow the same downward trend and is on pace to contract 6.7 per cent in 2014 and 5.3 per cent in 2015.

As with any devices, adoption goes through phases from the early to the late adopter; tablets are currently moving onto the latter part of that curve in mature markets.

Gartner estimates that sales of tablets will see a relative slowdown in 2014 to reach 256 million units, an increase of 23.9 per cent from 2013. Lower demand from users for tablets with smaller screens, some in favour of larger screens, in mature markets, and the shift towards phablets in South-East Asia are slowing global tablet penetration.

"The next wave of adoption will be driven by lower price points rather than superior functionality," said Atwal.

Sales of mobile phones are expected to reach 1.9 billion units in 2014, a 3.1 per cent increase from 2013. Sales of smartphones, which exceeded those of the rest of the market in 2013, will continue to do well, and Gartner estimates that smartphone sales will represent 88 per cent of global mobile phone sales by 2018. This would be a 66 per cent rise from 2014.

In the operating system (OS) market, Android and iOS are driving the growth with a 30 per cent and 15 per cent rise, respectively, in 2014.

"We expect the announcement of the new Apple iPhone 6 will attract pent-up demand for users who want a larger screen," said Annette Zimmermann, research director at Gartner. "Windows phones will exhibit strong growth from a low base in 2014, and are projected to reach a 10 percent market share by 2018 - up from 4 percent in 2014."