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Gartner: Devices to Reach 2.5 Billion

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Global combined device (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) shipments will reach 2.5 billion in 2015, Gartner reports-- a 2.8% increase over 2014 as market revenues drop by -7.2% to $226 billion.

The PC market sees a -2.4% shipment decline in 2015, reaching 306 million units.

Gartner Devices 2015

"The fall in PC purchases is primarily due to expected price increases by vendors in Europe and other regions, which is forced by local currency depreciation against the dollar," the analyst says. "The currency squeeze is forcing PC vendors to increase their prices in order to remain profitable and, as result, it is suppressing purchases. We expect businesses will delay purchases of new PCs, and consumers will delay or 'de-feature' their purchases. However, this reduction in purchasing is not a downturn, it is a reshaping of the market driven by currency."

Meanwhile mobile phones remain the largest and most profitable device segment, with 2015 shipments reaching 1.9bn units with 3.5% growth. Cheap smartphones remain a popular counter to the rising premium-phone ASPs, but Gartner warns the segment is set to reach saturation over the next few years.

Ultramobiles (combining both tablets and clamshells) are up by 4.3% to 237m units, thanks to an influx of hybrids and phablets in emerging markets, while tablets reach a mature consumer installed base comparable to that of notebooks.

As for operating systems Gartner says a growing number of high-end Android device users will move to iOS, as the combination of large-screen iPhones, the Apple brand and strong ecosystem make the OS an attractive alternative.

Go Gartner Forecast: PCs, Ultramobiles and Mobile Phones Q1 2015 Update