According to Gartner customers in mature markets do not plan to consolidate personal device collections-- instead more devices will actually be bought, bringing the number of devices per user to around 3-4 by 2018.

"The combination of the high level of adoption of technology, the availability of faster networks, and decision making becoming increasingly dependent on real-time information, will undoubtedly lead to more devices per user," the analyst says.

Gartner predicts mature market customers will use 2 "main" and 1 or 2 "niche" devices in the near future. Main devices include smartphones, tablets, convertibles (aka 2-in-1 hybrids) and notebooks, while niche devices include wearables (smartwatches, fitness trackers, smart glasses), smart cards, eReaders and portable cameras.

The ultimate statistic from the analyst states the total device installed base (including wearables, phones, tablets and PCs) will total 7.8 billion in 2016 before reaching 8.3bn in 2018.

Gartner has other device-related predictions-- for instance, 20% of personal devices in 2019 will be able to record emotions to create individual responses or crowdsource analysis. Such emotional recording comes from an increase in wearables (740 million, a 20% increase over 2015), as well enhanced analysis of facial expressions and voice recordings.

Meanwhile speech and gestures should be more prominent in PCs, with more desktop and notebook PCs carrying 3D cameras paired with the enhanced personal assistant features Windows 10 offers.

Go Gartner Predicts 2016: More Devices Per User Spurs Innovations in User Interface Technologies