The PC market is declining rapidly, and it is easy to see why. With no compelling reason to upgrade PC hardware, consumers are turning to mobile devices such as tablets for more of their media consumption needs.
More proof of this was provided today courtesy market research firm Strategy Analytics, which released a new report showing that tablet shipments have now overtaken mobile PC shipments. The report shows that tablet shipments this year will reach an estimated 231 million, far eclipsing the 186 mobile PCs that are expected to have shipped in 2013.
“The tablet has become firmly ingrained in the consumer mindset, and is now seen as one of the key go-to devices for consumers who want to undertake computing tasks on a mobile device.” said Matt Wilkins, director of tablets and wearables at Strategy Analytics. “As a result, the processors architectures, operating systems, and form factor of the tablet are playing dominant roles in the MCD (mobile computing devices) space”
Strategy Analytics predicts that the trend toward tablets and away from notebooks will continue for at least the next four years. The report also shows that the real winner in all of this could end up being Google. The company’s Android operating system currently dominates smartphone shipments, and momentum for the platform is building for tablet devices. Strategy Analytics is predicting that over 40% of all mobile devices shipped in 2017 will be running a Google operating system.
