Sales of traditional PCs continue to decline as tablet shipments remains on track to hit a grand total of 145 million in 2013.
According to ABI Research analyst Jeff Or, the salient increase in tablet sales can be attributed to a combination of factors, including Microsoft Windows 8, new market entrants, more affordable choices for users and increased adoption by the corporate enterprise sector.
“The rate of innovation is slowing as tablet vendors augment their product portfolios to meet the needs of market audiences,” Orr explained.
“The late 2012 launches of Apple’s iPad mini and a variety of slates based on Intel architecture and new Windows operating systems will only begin to show their progress this year.”
Unsurprisingly, most of the current interest in tablets can be found in North America where an ABI projection for 2013 sees the region consuming just over 50% of worldwide shipments.
Nevertheless, business-oriented tablets are expected to jump to 19% of all shipments in 2013 as more PC OEMs unveil devices specifically designed for the workplace.
“While some cannibalization of the PC installed base is likely, the majority of new tablet opportunity comes from workers that have, until now, worked without the benefits of computing technologies,” said Orr.
The analyst also commented on recent media reports citing tablets as the sole cause for the gradual demise of the eBook Reader.
“Tablets have little to do with the trajectory of dedicated digital readers… The facts are that the U.S. market continues to dominate eReader shipments and an aging Baby Boomer population looking to replicate the print reading experience is a waning audience.
“If other world regions do not successfully organize digital publishing markets, the dedicated eReader market will go away without regard for adoption of tablets and other mobile devices,” Orr added.
