Worldwide combined shipments of PCs, tablets, ultramobile computers and mobile phones are projected to remain flat in 2017, as modest growth in the smartphone market is offset by continued weakness in PCs and tablets, according to Gartner. Worldwide shipments for these devices are projected to total 2.324 billion in 2017, the same as 2016 estimates, and grow slightly to 2.357 billion in 2018 and 2.380 billion in 2019.
The market researcher expects the PC market is only now reaching bottom, while smartphone shipments are only growing in emerging Asia/Pacific markets. Average selling prices are also beginning to stagnate due to market saturation and a slower rate of innovation. Consumers have fewer reasons to upgrade and instead are turning to new categories of devices, such as VR headsets and digital personal assistant speakers.
The forecast includes traditional desktop and notebook computers, which are expected to fall from 219 million units last year to 192 million in 2019, and new 'ultramobiles', which includes tablets, thin and lightweight PCs and convertibles. The latter category is divided into 'premium' products like the Windows 10 Intel x86 products and the MacBook Air, which are expected to grow from 49 million shipments last year to 61 million in 2017 and 85 million in 2019, and 'basic and utility' models, which includes consumer tablets like the iPad or Galaxy Tab and are expected to be largely stable at around 166 million units per year over the forecast period.
For the mobile phone market, Gartner predicts slow growth, to 1.893 billion units in 2017 from an estimated 1.888 billion last year, rising to 1.920 billion in 2018 and 1.937 billion in 2019.
