All that talk about the PC market being dead? Not so fast.
According to a new report from Gartner, the PC market is poised to experience a mini-revival this year. After suffering a devastating 9.5 percent decline in 2013, the global PC market — which includes desktops, notebooks, and "premium ultramobiles" like Apple's MacBook Air — is on track to decline only 2.9 percent in 2014, the firm predicted.
"2014 will be marked by a relative revival of the global PC market," Gartner Research Director Ranjit Atwal said in a statement. "Business upgrades from Windows XP and the general business replacement cycle will lessen the downward trend, especially in Western Europe. This year, we anticipate nearly 60 million professional PC replacements in mature markets."
Things are expected to get even better next year. Gartner estimated that worldwide PC shipments will reach 308 million units in 2014, down slightly from 317.6 million last year. But in 2015, that number is expected to bump back up to nearly 317 million.
Meanwhile, Gartner predicted that combined worldwide device shipments — including PCs, tablets, ultramobiles, and mobile phones — will increase 4.2 percent in 2014 to 2.4 billion units.
Tablets will experience a natural slowdown in 2014, reaching 256 million units, an increase of 23.9 percent from 2013. Gartner said that consumers in mature markets are becoming less interested in small-screen tablets while those in Southeast Asia are shifting towards phablets, causing the tablet slowdown.
"The next wave of [tablet] adoption will be driven by lower price points rather than superior functionality," Atwal said.
Sales of mobile phones are expected to reach an impressive 1.9 billion units in 2014, a 3.1 percent increase from 2013. Smartphone sales will continue to do particularly well. Gartner predicted that smartphone sales will represent 88 percent of global mobile phone sales by 2018, up from 66 percent in 2014.
For more, check out the chart below. Also see PCMag's roundup of the 10 Best Laptops and 10 Best Desktops.
