STAMFORD, CT – Worldwide devices (shipments of PCs, tablets and mobile phones) are projected to reach 2.35 billion units in 2013, up 5.9% year-over-year, says Gartner.

The market is being driven by sales in tablets, smartphones, and to a lesser extent, ultramobiles, as PC shipments are on the decline, the firm says.

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

Tablet shipments are expected to grow 67.9%, with shipments reaching 202 million units, while the mobile phone market will grow 4.3%, with volume of more than 1.8 billion units.

Demand for ultramobiles (including Chromebooks, thin and light clamshell designs, and slate and hybrid devices running Windows 8) will come from upgrades of both notebooks and premium tablets, such as the Apple iPad or Galaxy Tab10.1, says Gartner.

Analysts say ultramobile devices are drawing demand away from other devices. This will be even more evident in the fourth quarter, when Intel processors Bay Trail and Haswell running on Windows 8.1 will hit the market. Although these devices will only marginally help overall sales volumes initially, they are expected to help vendors increase average selling prices and margins, the firm says.

The tablet and smartphone markets are facing challenges as these devices gain longer lifecycles. There has also been a shift, as many consumers go from premium tablets to basic tablets. The share of basic tablets is expected to increase faster than anticipated, as sales of the iPad Mini already represented 60% of overall iOS sales in the first quarter of 2013.