Though some analysts have observed that the explosive growth in the tablet market seems to be slowing, that doesn’t mean the overall tablet market has hit its peak. A new report out today from NPD DisplaySearch is now predicting that tablets will come to dominate the mobile PC industry in just a few years.
DisplaySearch is predicting that tablet shipments will hit 315 million this year, a significant increase from the estimated 250 million tablets that shipped in 2013. Already this year tablets are expected to make up over 65% of the mobile PC market (comprised of tablets and notebooks) By 2017 DisplaySearch sees 455 million tablets shipping, representing close to three-quarters (75%) of the mobile PC market.
“Momentum for the tablet PC market is in full swing as it has become the dominant mobile PC form factor,” said Richard Shim, senior analyst at DisplaySearch. “Competition is expected to increase as traditional notebook PC brands, including Lenovo, HP, and Dell update their product portfolios to emphasize tablet PCs. Increased competition will mean more attention on, and development of, various segments of the market, which will ultimately lead to greater choice and devices that better fit the needs of consumers.”
While the tablet market continues to climb, the notebook market will see a corresponding decline. DisplaySearch predicts a 7% decline in notebook PC sales during 2014. Though PC manufacturers had hoped touchscreen notebooks might spur notebook adoption, DisplaySearch’s numbers show weak adoption of the products. Shipments of standard notebooks is predicted to fall to just 105 million in 2017.
The only category of the notebook segment seen on the rise is the “ultra-slim” category ( devices such as the MacBook Air and other “ultrabooks”). DisplaySearch predicts that shipments of ultra-slim notebooks will rise to 57 million by the year 2017.
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