Global PC shipments are expected to decrease at a slower annual rate of 2.9 percent this year, following a decline of 9.5 percent last year, market researcher Gartner Inc said in a statement on Monday.
Total shipments of desktop, notebook and ultralight PCs are estimated to reach 308.47 million units this year, compared with 317.65 million units last year, Gartner said.
“2014 will be marked by a relative revival of the global PC market,” Gartner research director Ranjit Atwal said in the statement. “Business upgrades from Windows XP and the general business replacement cycle will lessen the downward trend, especially in Western Europe.”
According to Gartner’s forecast, about 60 million corporate PCs will be replaced in mature markets this year, in part due to security concerns as a result of Microsoft Corp ending its support for Windows XP in April.
However, the traditional PC market, such as desktop and notebook computers, is set to follow the same downward trend as last year, contracting 6.7 percent this year and declining another 5.3 percent next year, Gartner said.
Meanwhile, global sales of mobile phones are expected to reach 1.86 billion units this year, a 3.1 percent increase from 1.81 billion units last year, with sales of smartphones continuing to do well, the researcher said. Gartner estimates that smartphone sales will represent 88 percent of global mobile phone sales by 2018 — up from 66 percent this year.
However, sales of tablets may see a relative slowdown this year to reach 256.31 million units, an increase of 23.9 percent from 206.81 million units last year, it said.
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