[img_assist|nid=26258|title=Smartphone and tablet shipments are rising, while those of PCs are falling|desc=|link=popup|align=left|width=145|height=150]Growth in shipments of mobiles and tablets will help fuel a 5.9 per cent increase in total shipments of PCs tablets and mobile phones in 2013, helping to offset a 10.6 per cent decline in “traditional” PC shipments.

The figures come from Gartner, which forecasts that worldwide devices (the combined shipments of PCs, tablets and mobile phones) are projected to reach 2.35bn units in 2013, 5.9 per cent up on 2012.

Worldwide traditional PC (desk-based and notebook) shipments are forecast to total 305m units in 2013, a 10.6 per cent decline from 2012, while the PC market including ultramobiles is forecast to decline 7.3 per cent.

But while PC shipments are heading south, tablet shipments will increase by 67.9 per cent, to reach 202m units, while the mobile phone market will grow 4.3 per cent, with volume of more than 1.8bn units.

Gartner says the sharp decline in PC sales recorded in the first quarter was the result in a change in preferences in consumers’ wants and needs, but also an adjustment in the channel to make room for new products hitting the market in the second half of 2013.

“Consumers want anytime-anywhere computing that allows them to consume and create content with ease, but also share and access that content from a different portfolio of products. Mobility is paramount in both mature and emerging markets,” said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner.

It’s not all good news for tablets and smartphones, however. These markets, says Gartner, are facing some challenges as these devices gain longer lifecycles. There has also been a shift as many consumers move from premium tablets to basic tablets. The share of basic tablets is expected to increase faster than anticipated, with sales of the iPad Mini representing 60 per cent of overall iOS sales in the first quarter of 2013.

“The increased availability of lower-priced basic tablets, plus the value-add shifting to software rather than hardware, will result in the lifetimes of premium tablets extending as they remain active in the household for longer,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. “We will also see consumer preferences split between basic tablets and ultramobile devices. With mobile phones, volume expectations for 2013 have been brought down as the lifecycles lengthen, as consumers wait for new models and lower prices to hit the market in the Fall and holiday season. The challenge in the smartphone market is also that, as penetration moves more and more to the mass market, price points are lowering, and in most cases so do margins.”

Gartner’s numbers also include worldwide device shipments by Operating System. These show Android way out ahead on 1.1bn, followed by Windows on 378m , iOS/MacOS on 354.8m, and RIM on 22m. But Milanesi cautions: “Although the numbers seem to paint a clear picture of who the winner will be when it comes to operating systems in the device market, the reality is that today, ecosystem owners are challenged in having the same relevance in all segments. Apple is currently the more homogeneous presence across all device segments, while 90 per cent of Android sales are currently in the mobile phone market and 85 per cent of Microsoft sales are in the PC market.”

All the data is contained in a Gartner report, Forecast: Devices by Operating System and User Type, Worldwide, 2010-2017, 2Q13 Update.” There’s more information about the report here. http://www.gartner.com/resId=2524916