Asia Pacific devices shipments to grow 3.2% in 2015: Gartner

Sales of mobile phones and ultramobiles prop up overall devices market

Combined shipments of devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) in the Asia Pacific region are forecast to total 1.2 billion units in 2015, an increase of 3.2% over 2014 (see table 1), according to Gartner, Inc.

"Device penetration is very high in Asia Pacific - at or beyond saturation point in mature markets and major cities in the emerging markets," said Gartner principal analyst Lillian Tay.

"Market saturation, along with consumers extending the lifetime of their tablets, has caused a re-calibration in the growth trajectory in the market. From 2016, we expect the tablet market to resume growth from a stabilized base."

The computing devices market is forecast to decline 1.9% this year, affected by weak demand for tablets. The PC market overall will continue to grow slightly, as shipments in the premium ultramobile category compensate for a decline in sales of traditional desk-based and notebook PCs.

The overall increase in device shipments is driven by 4.1% growth in the mobile phone market, as cheaper priced smartphones stimulate replacements, especially in emerging markets.

"Chinese vendors are aiming to grow in emerging Asian markets for their expansion plans outside China, as the local market is approaching saturation point," said CK Lu, principal analyst at Gartner.

"However, local currency depreciation against the dollar is deterring Chinese handset makers from pushing down smartphone prices to reach wider segments," he said. "This could limit their growth in 2015."

Table 1: Asia Pacific Devices Shipments by Device Type, 2014-2017 (Thousands of Units) 2014 2015 2016 2017Traditional PC (Deskbased and Notebook) 93122 90983 90036 89233Ultramobile (Premium) 9531 13460 16115 17936PC Market 102653 104442 106152 107169Other Ultramobile (Tablets and Clamshells) 67776 62816 63245 63733Computing Devices Market 170428 167258 169397 170901Mobile Phones 987725 1028389 1088987 1111488Total Devices Market 1158153 1195647 1258384 1282390Source: Gartner (March 2015)