Strong demand for tablets such as Apple’s iPad will help worldwide shipments of web-enabled devices rise in 2013, offsetting a decline in desktop and laptop computers, research company Gartner said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Combined shipments of computers, tablets and mobile phones will reach 2.32 billion units in 2013, a 4.5 percent increase on 2012, Gartner forecast. Shipments of tablets are expected to rise 42.7 percent to 184 million.<\/p>\n
Traditional desktop and laptop computers will continue to decline, with shipments forecast to total 303 million units, an 11.2 percent drop on 2012, the research group said.<\/p>\n
The mobile phone market will continue to experience steady growth, it said, with shipments projected to increase by 3.7 percent to more than 1.8 billion units, it said.<\/p>\n
Price competition is strongest for the smaller, 7-inch, tablets, Gartner said.<\/p>\n
“We expect this holiday season to be all about smaller tablets as even the long-term holiday favorite – the smartphone – loses its appeal,” said Carolina Milanesi, the firm’s research vice president.<\/p>\n
(Reporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Pravin Char)<\/p>\n
Cray supercomputer returns<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n