Good News for Apple Inc. (AAPL), Google Inc (GOOG), and Microsoft Corporation (MSFT)

According to Gartner, worldwide PC, tablet and mobile phone shipments are set to grow by 5.9 percent in 2013. This is due in large part to the fact that “anytime-anywhere computing” is becoming more common than ever before.

This is great news for the companies that are heavily involved in these markets, including Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT).

Despite the fact that PC, tablet and mobile phone shipments are going to increase, the same piece adds that traditional PC shipments are going to decline by 10.6 percent in 2013.

The decline in the PC market will impact Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) more than other companies, thanks to the dominance of its Windows operating system.

Google Inc (GOOG)Here is some more data from the article, showing how Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) will be able to benefit:

“Tablet shipments are expected to grow 67.9 percent, with shipments reaching 202 million units, while the mobile phone market will grow 4.3 percent, with volume of more than 1.8 billion units. The sharp decline in PC sales recorded in the first quarter was the result in a change in preferences in consumers’ wants and needs, but also an adjustment in the channel to make room for new products hitting the market in the second half of 2013.”

As you can see, the tablet market is set to grow by nearly 68 percent. This has to be exciting for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), being that its iPad lineup is currently dominating the market.

All of this is good news for Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) as well, with a demand for ultramobiles, which includes Chromebooks, on the rise.

Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner added the following:

“The increased availability of lower priced basic tablets, plus the value add shifting to software rather than hardware will result in the lifetimes of premium tablets extending as they remain active in the household for longer. We will also see consumer preferences split between basic tablets and ultramobile devices. With mobile phones, volume expectations for 2013 have been brought down as the life cycles lengthen as consumers wait for new models and lower prices to hit the market in the Fall and holiday season.”

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) is positioned nicely in both the tablet and smartphone markets. Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) and its Android operating system, on the other hand, is relying more heavily on the smartphone side of things. And of course, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has put a lot of stock in the PC market.

On the next page, you will find a graph, courtesy of Gartner, showing the statistics in greater detail.