Laptop and tablet usage will surge this year, as the pandemic triggers a permanent change in how we use them, according to Gartner.
The beancounters at Big G claim that 125 million more laptops and tablets will be in use globally this year compared to 2020
The report said that more than 6.2 billion devices – including laptops, desktops, tablets and mobile phones – will be in play by the end of 2021.
The number of laptops in use will increase by 8.8 percent this year, while the number of tablets will increase by 11.7 percent.
By 2022, the global devices install base is set to reach 6.4 billion units – up 3.2 percent on 2021.
The worldwide boost in remote working devices such as laptops, smartphones and tablets will be coupled with a continued decline in desktop PCs. Desktops are expected to decline from 522 million in use in 2020 to 470m by 2022.
Big G’s Ranjit Atwal said: “The COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed device usage patterns of employees and consumers. With remote work turning into hybrid work, home education changing into digital education and interactive gaming moving to the cloud, both the types and number of devices people need, have and use will continue to rise.” Seems rather obvious, doesn’t it?
Gartner expects the smartphone market to rebound in 2022 after a decline of 2.6 percent in 2020. In 2021, the global smartphone market is set to grow by one percent.
He said:”With more variety and choice, and lower-priced 5G smartphones to choose from, consumers have begun to either upgrade their smartphones or upgrade from feature phones. The smartphone is also a key tool that people use to communicate and share moments during social distancing and social isolation.”
