Gartner Inc. cut its global personal-computer shipments forecast for 2010 and 2011 as consumers rein in spending and interest grows in tablet devices such as Apple Inc.'s iPad.

Tablet devices are expected to displace 10% of PC shipments by 2014, according to the research firm. The impact of tablets is already evident this year, when PC shipments are projected to total 352.4 million units, up 14.3% from last year, according to Gartner. The group had earlier projected a growth rate of 17.9% for this year.

Next year, PC unit sales are expected to reach 409 million units, up 15.9% year-over-year, slower than Gartner's earlier projection of 18.1%.

'These results reflect marked reductions in expected near-term unit growth based on expectations of weaker consumer demand, due in no small part to growing user interest in media tablets such as the iPad,' Gartner analyst Ranjit Atwal said in a statement.

Apple's iPad triggered strong interest in tablets, which share more design elements with mobile devices such as smartphones, and less with PCs and laptops. Major PC makers, led by Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., have rolled out their own version of the device.

'Over the longer term, media tablets are expected to displace around 10 percent of PC units by 2014,' Mr. Atwal said.

Gartner expects tablet unit sales to total 19.5 million this year and to nearly triple to 54.8 million in 2011. The group projects tablet unit sales to surpass 208 million in 2014.

Gartner said the economic slowdown is also a factor for weaker PC sales. The industry also faces longer-term challenges, as consumers turn to alternative devices, such as tablets and smart-phones.

In emerging markets, Gartner said consumers are likely to 'simply leapfrog PCs and move directly to alternative devices in the coming years rather than following the traditional pattern of purchasing a PC as their first computing device.'

In the U.S. and Western Europe, the group said, consumers 'continue to postpone purchases in the face of financial and economic uncertainty.' Gartner said consumers also are 'temporarily, if not permanently, forgoing PC purchases in favor of media tablets.'