New Delhi, Sep 23 (IANS): India and other emerging markets are on pace to show the strongest growth (even though worldwide combined shipments of devices (PCs, tablets, and mobile phones) are expected to be 2.4 billion units in 2015, down 1 percent from 2014 and the previous quarter's forecast of 1.5 percent growth, said market research firm Gartner.

"Emerging Asia/Pacific, including India and Indonesia, is on pace to show the strongest growth (43 percent) in 2015, while Greater China will grow 3 percent," the company said in a release.

Gartner's latest device forecast also showed that shipments in all categories will contract in 2015, except for mobile phone shipments, which are likely to increase 1.4 percent in 2015. Smartphone shipments are estimated to increase 14 percent in 2015, the company had earlier said.

"Replacement activity across all types of devices has decreased. Users are extending the lifetime of their devices, or deciding not to replace their devices at all," said Gartner research director Ranjit Atwal.

"By 2017, we estimate mobile phone shipments will reach the 2 billion mark, and smartphones will represent 89 percent of the market," said research director Annette Zimmermann.