Smartphone / Devenorr, ShutterstockSales forecasts for PCs, tablets and smartphones have been released by International Data Corporation.

Smartphone sales are expected to increase slightly with a year-over-year growth rate of 1.6 percent in 2016. Analysts say the smartphone industry is trying to increase product turnover by implementing buy-back or trade-in programs.

Tablet and PC sales, meanwhile, are expected to continue their sales declines.

Tablet sales are down 11.5 percent and sales aren’t expected to pick up until 2018. Analysts predict detachable tablets will see the most growth as consumers look for inexpensive alternatives to computers. Experts say what little growth the PC market gained in the second quarter was due to the back-to-school season and isn’t expected to continue.

IDC also tracks worldwide revenue from IT products and services. That includes consumer purchases and industries like telecommunications, banking, health care and manufacturing. The IT category is expected to grow from $2.4 trillion in 2016 to $2.7 trillion in 2020, with health care leading the way.

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