The advent of a new analyst report tracking the fortunes (or misfortunes) of the PC market has made for grim reading in the last few years. But recently a sense of optimism has returned to the industry, and this optimism should continue for a little while longer, at least according to a new report from Gartner.
The Gartner report reveals that the worldwide PC market will witness a modest revival in 2014 after a dire year in 2013, when PC shipments fell 9.5 percent. It says this market will only contract 2.9 percent during 2014.
Gartner predicts that in 2014, shipments of all types PCs (including desktops, notebooks and ultramobiles) will reach 308m, down from 317m in 2013. In 2015, total global shipments are forecast to reach 316m.
“2014 will be marked by a relative revival of the global PC market,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner.
So what is driving the apparent and welcome revival in the PC industry? Well it seems thatn the Windows XP replacement cycle is kicking in, with companies finally replacing their old machines running the ancient operating system. Perhaps Windows 8 is not so bad after all?
“Business upgrades from Windows XP and the general business replacement cycle will lessen the downward trend, especially in Western Europe,” said Atwal. “This year, we anticipate nearly 60 million professional PC replacements in mature markets.”
Gartner said that the traditional PC market (desktop and notebook) will follow the same downward trend and is on pace to contract 6.7 percent in 2014 and 5.3 percent in 2015.
Meanwhile the tablet market is increasingly maturing. Gartner estimates that sales of tablets will see a relative slowdown in 2014 to reach 256 million units, an increase of 23.9 percent from 2013.
Gartner cites a number of reasons for the slowdown in tablet sales, including the fact there is lower demand for tablets with smaller screens, and an increase in demand for the phablet form factor.
“The next wave of (tablet) adoption will be driven by lower price points rather than superior functionality,” said Atwal.
And what of the mobile phone market? Well, sales of mobile phones are expected to reach 1.9 billion units in 2014, a 3.1 percent increase from 2013.
Smartphone sales are expected to continue to be the main driver here. Indeed, Gartner estimates that smartphone sales will represent 88 percent of global mobile phone sales by 2018 – up from 66 percent in 2014.
Android is the clear winner is the operating system segment, followed by Windows and Mac/iOS. Gartner says that in 2014, Android and iOS are driving the growth with a 30 percent and 15 percent increase respectively.
“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.
But there was equally good news for Windows Phone, with Gartner predicting a solid third place in the mobile phone operating system segment.
“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,” said Zimmermann.
What do you know about the smartphones of 2013? Take our quiz!
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and if only Microsoft could help by getting Windows 8.1 useable -its still a horrible operating system that most people just don't like.
I'm giving my notebook to my granddaughter that runs on 8.1, a pain in the backside, windows 7 for me !
I love Windows 8. It is the best operating system bar none. It is fast, stable, and runs everything. What more do you want? With 8.1 you can even boot directly to the desktop.
People complaining because they are too lazy to even try and learn something that is a bit new. News flash, learning is one of the best ways to keep your brain working in top form, especially as you get older.
You can't expect things to stay the same and never change. Time moves on and so does technology. It amazes me how some people seem to think that Microsoft should have not changed anything, just give the new markets to Apple and Samsung, give up and die with the falling desktop business. But they would have been happy because they wouldn't have to change and god forbid learn something new.
I never understood why there had to be a choice. I mean, for decades PC's have coexisted with laptops...even up until when laptops started to become small notebooks(Chromebook and others), and the lines between tablets and notebooks began to become very blurry. When people go out and/ or chill on the couch, they grab a tablet...for all else, a PC.