Gartner: Global device shipments to reach 2.5 billion in 2015

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Worldwide combined shipments of devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) are expected to reach 2.5 billion units in 2015, a 1.5 percent increase from 2014 and down from the previous quarter’s forecast of 2.8 percent growth, according to statistics just released by Gartner, a leading information technology research and advisory company.

The report titled Forecast: PCs, Ultramobiles and Mobile Phones, Worldwide, 2012-2019, 2Q15 Update also shows that end-user spending on devices will total $606 billion in 2015 and will show, for the first time since 2010, a 5.7 percent decline in current U.S. dollars.

“Our forecast for unit shipment growth for all devices in 2015 has dropped by 1.3 percentage points from last quarter’s estimate,” Ranjit Atwal , research director at Gartner says. “This was partly due to a continued slowdown in PC purchases in Western Europe, Russia and Japan in particular, largely due to price increases resulting from local currency devaluation against the dollar.”

The only market that continues to show growth is the mobile phone market where, in contrast, prices continue to fall. The emerging markets are driving the smartphone market upward, with China leading the way, Gartner says.