Tablets to out-ship PCs by late 2015, forecast suggests

PanARMENIAN.Net - Tablets are on course to out-ship PCs by the end of 2015, the latest figures from analyst Gartner suggest, according to Digital Spy.

The firm has forecast that 321 million slates will ship globally next year, up from 256 million in 2014, while PC shipments will dip from 308 million to 317 million units.

However, Gartner expects the PC market to see a small revival this year, spearheaded by business users upgrading from the now-unsupported Windows XP.

This trend will be coupled with a "relative slowdown" in the tablet market in 2014, attributed to the demand for so-called phablet handsets.

"After declining 9.5% in 2013, the global PC market is on pace to contract only 2.9% in 2014," said Gartner research director Ranjit Atwal.

Meanwhile, handset sales are projected to reach 1.9 billion units, a year-on-year increase of 3.1%, with smartphones on course to represent 88% of the global mobile phone market by 2018.