PC Decline, Tablet Growth to Continue in 2014

By

It’s more or less common knowledge at this point that PC sales are sinking while tablet sales are on the rise. Indeed, the third quarter of 2013 was the lowest back-to-school quarter since 2008, with the fourth quarter marking the first time tablet shipments would exceed PC shipments. Now, a new report from Gartner suggests this trend will continue throughout 2014 and beyond.

Indeed, the research firm’s annual devices forecast states that 2014 will be, without a doubt, the year of mobile devices and, if you want to get more specific, the year of Android. This is because, of the projected 2.5 billion PC, tablet and mobile shipments for this year, 1.9 billion will be mobile handsets, while 1.1 billion devices will be running Google’s mobile OS.

As for PCs, while Gartner claims shipments fell just short of 300 million in 2013, it expects this number to slip to around 278 million in 2014. On the flipside, “ultramobiles” — Gartner’s term for tablets as well as harder to define devices like phablets — will surpass 300 million shipments overall, with tablets alone accounting for 263 million units.

However, this doesn’t mean the death of the PC is imminent because, although PC shipments are expected to drop again in 2015, it will be a fairly minor decline to just shy of 270 million. That said, tablet shipments are to reach 324 million that same year, with ultramobiles altogether approaching 400 million shipped units.

In terms of operating systems, Android will account for almost 45 percent of all device shipments this year, up from 38 percent in 2013. By 2015, this figure is expected to grow to 48 percent. In other words, it’s not so much the PC that needs to worry, but rather Microsoft.

Apple also has cause to worry as Android’s installed base in 2013 sat around 1.9 billion devices, while OS X and iOS together sat at 682 million.




Edited by Cassandra Tucker
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. [Free eNews Subscription]

TechZone360 Contributing Writer

SHARE THIS ARTICLE
Related Articles

Can Science Outsmart Deepfake Deceivers? Klick Labs Proposes an Emerging Solution

By: Alex Passett    3/25/2024

Researchers at Klick Labs were able to identify audio deepfakes from authentic audio recordings via new vocal biomarker technology (alongside AI model…

Read More

Top 5 Best Ways to Integrate Technology for Successful Project-Based Learning

By: Contributing Writer    3/19/2024

Project-based learning, also popularly known as the PBL curriculum, emphasizes using and integrating technology with classroom teaching. This approach…

Read More

How to Protect Your Website From LDAP Injection Attacks

By: Contributing Writer    3/12/2024

Prevent LDAP injection attacks with regular testing, limiting access privileges, sanitizing user input, and applying the proper encoding functions.

Read More

Azure Cost Optimization: 5 Things You Can Do to Save on Azure

By: Contributing Writer    3/7/2024

Azure cost optimization is the process of managing and reducing the overall cost of using Azure. It involves understanding the resources you're using,…

Read More

Massive Meta Apps and Services Outage Impacts Users Worldwide

By: Alex Passett    3/5/2024

Meta's suite of apps and services are experiencing major global outages on Super Tuesday 2024.

Read More