Gartner Forecasts Global Device Shipments to Remain at Current Levels Through 2018
The introduction of new devices will increase sales of existing devices.

Gartner Inc., an IT consulting firm, forecasted that the total shipments of all devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles, and mobile phones) worldwide in 2017 will reach 2.3 billion units, similar to the previous year.

In 2016, an estimated 7 billion mobile phones, tablets, and PCs were used worldwide. Gartner forecasts that shipments of traditional devices will remain flat until 2018, while shipments of ultramobiles and mobile phones will see a slight increase.


▲Lenovo unveiled groundbreaking new mobile and PC products at CES 2017.

“The global device market is currently stagnant,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. “Mobile phone shipments are growing only in emerging markets in the Asia-Pacific region, and we believe the decline in the PC market will soon bottom out.”

Researcher Ranjit Atwal noted, "In addition to declining shipments of existing devices, average selling prices are also entering a plateau. This is due to a saturated market and a slowing pace of innovation. Consumers are increasingly seeing fewer incentives to purchase new devices or upgrade existing ones." They are pursuing increasingly unique user experiences in emerging devices such as head-mounted displays (HMDs), virtual personal assistants (VPAs), and wearables,” he said.


▲ Table 1. Global shipments by device type, 2016–2019 (unit: millions of units) Source: Gartner (January 2017)
Note: The Ultramobile (Premium) category includes devices such as Microsoft Windows 10 Intel x86 products and the Apple MacBook Air. The Ultramobile (Basic, Utility) category includes devices such as the Apple iPad, iPad Mini, Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, Amazon Fire HD, Lenovo Yoga Tab 3, and Acer Iconia One.


The PC market, currently in a slump, is expected to return to growth in 2018, benefiting from the replacement cycle. While traditional PC sales continue to decline, premium ultramobile devices with attractive price points and features are expected to spur purchases. Similarly, the mobile market is expected to benefit from the replacement cycle. However, replacement demand will differ between mature and emerging markets. Ranjit Atwal, Research Director, stated, "Unlike mature markets, emerging markets, where smartphones remain the primary computing device, will see more regular replacements."

For device manufacturers, there is a growing push to enter the rapidly growing new device product line. “This requires a shift from a hardware-centric approach to a richer, value-added, services-based approach,” said Ranjit Atwal, a researcher. “As a services-based approach becomes increasingly important, hardware providers that lack the expertise to directly deliver services will ultimately have to collaborate with service providers.”