The increasing popularity of tablets is expected to have an impact on the overall PC market as research firm IDC forecasts that shipment of tablets will surpass laptops by the end of 2013 and combined PCs by the end of 2015. Shipments are expected to grow by 58.7% in 2013 reaching 229.3 million units from 144.5 million units in 2012. This phenomenon is attributed to the shift in consumer preference as an increasing number of buyers now prefer tablets over the conventional PC.
Sales of tablets with screens smaller than 8 inch such as the iPad Mini and Kindle Fire HD will continue to increase and expected to reach 57% of the market share by 2017. However, tablets with screen size between 8 and 11 inches will decrease to 37% in 2017 from 73% in 2011.
Many consumers now prefer the tablet because they can perform most core uses of the PC. They see tablets not just for gaming but as a learning tool. This development will propel the drop in prices of the tablet which is a welcome news for parents planning to buy tablets for kids. A tablet for every child in school can now be a reality especially in the third world countries.
Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
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