Samsung and Apple lead surge in connected devices

The combined sales of PCs, tablets and smartphones climbed by 27 percent in the third quarter of 2012, according to analysts.

Research firm IDC said that global shipments of connected devices hit 303.6 million units in the third quarter and up from the same period in 2011.

Samsung lead the surge with a 21.8 percent share of the market. The company rode the success of its Galaxy product line to boost shipments by an eye-popping 97.5 percent over the previous year's quarter.

Apple claimed second place on the list, with a 15.1 percent share of the market on 45.8 million units shipped. The company was able to up its shipments by 38.3 percent.

Lenovo also saw its shipments rocket, with a 60 percent increase over the previous year's quarter. It claimed a seven percent stake of the market and the third position on the list.

IDC analysts believe that users are fuelling the growth by adding new platforms and form-factors to their personal and professional lives.

"Both consumers and business workers are finding the need for multiple 'smart' devices and we expect that trend to grow for several years, especially in more developed regions," said IDC clients and displays programme vice president Bob O'Donnell.

"The advent of cloud-based services is enabling people to seamlessly move from device to device, which encourages the purchase and usage of different devices for different situations."

While most vendors have seen an increase in sales, some were unable to maintain their 2011 volumes. HP saw its shipments decline by 20.5 percent on the year as the company continues to sputter in its rebuilding efforts.

The surge comes in spite of what analysts see as a disappointing result in much of the electronics space. PCs in particular have been hit hard with a market that is expected to see revenues decline on the year.