The analysts over at Gartner have once again run some numbers through their massive calculator and they’s come up with some pretty interesting numbers. While we all know that the humble PC as we know it is slowly fading away, Gartner’s latest figures are surprising even to us. Sure, the smartphone and now the tablet have made the need for a desktop PC or traditional laptop much less for a lot of people out there, but the PC still has its place, at least for now anyway. I know that I couldn’t get through my day without my Chromebook and I use my desktop PC for gaming. Still, the writing is on the wall for the PC and by 2015, tablet shipments are said to outpace those of PCs.
According to the latest figures from Gartner, shipments for PCs, ultramobile laptops – think the Lenovo Yoga – smartphones and tablets will hit 2.4 Billion units, with 1.2 Billion of those devices running Android. 88% of those 2.4 Billion units are smartphones and tablets, further hinting that the PC’s decline is only going to carry on. For 2015 however, Gartner have forecast that tablets will take over PC shipments for the first time ever with 320 Million units said to narrowly beat a forecast of 316 Million PCs. Right now, the PC market is in a transition of sorts, with people looking for more mobile options, but without giving up the added software advantage of a PC. Devices like the Yoga and two-in-one tablets will continue to challenge the portable tablet.
Now, these numbers from Gartner are based on shipments and numbers for 2015 are of course just forecasts, but it’s certainly interesting to see that the tablet is to start replacing PCs. At least for a lot of people, this is probably already true, especially as keyboards and such can be bought for tablets when someone needs to do a little more than just play Angry Birds. Gartner is saying that shipments of Android devices will grow over 30% throughout 2014, which we’re sure will be music to Google’s ears.