Research firm Gartner has predicted that shipments of Android devices will top 1.1 billion in 2014, while combined shipment of PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones will breach the 2.5 billion milestone.
Gartner claims that mobile phone shipments will top 1.9 billion for the current year representing a five percent growth over 2013, while ultramobiles will be the star of 2014 registering growth of over 54 percent year on year. Android devices will top the charts with over 1.1 billion devices shipped in 2014 – a 26 percent increase over 2013.
Gartner revealed through a press release that the global tablet market is expected to grow by 47 percent year-on-year from 179.5 million units shipped in 2013 to 263.5 million units this year. The primary factor behind increased shipment will be the reduction in prices globally. Further, Traditional PC shipments are expected to go down by as much as 7 percent from 299 million units in 2013 to 277 million units this year. Gartner expects that the same trends to continue next year as well.
“Users continue to move away from the traditional PC (notebooks and desk-based) as it becomes more of a shared content creation tool, while the greater flexibility of tablets, hybrids and lighter notebooks address users’ increasingly different demands,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner.
The wording implies 1.1bn total, this is not true. Android shipments already total nearly 2bn, an addition 1bn in 2014 predicted, making 3bn in Total by the end of 2014.