A Forrester Research report suggests that worldwide tablet sales plateaued in 2014. Even the iPad Air, one of the most popular tablets in the market, was unable to push up the worldwide tablet sales.
Apple revolutionized the tablet market with the launch of its first-generation iPad in early 2010. Companies such as Apple, Samsung and more introduced many tablets in the market and the worldwide tablet sales witnessed a sharp rise from 2010 to 2013. Some Android tablets are also available for as low as $50, which makes them easily accessible and affordable by customers.
However, the Forrester Research report highlights that the replacement rate of tablets isn't as high as smartphones and people tend to use their tablets for longer period of time. It notes, though, that business demand for tablets remains strong. "In enterprise settings, bring-your-own-device (BYOD) will continue to be a prominent practice among information workers. And company-owned tablets are growing at a much faster rate than the overall market," a summary states.
Forrester Research also found that many customers use bigger smartphones that are 5-inches and over as a tablet computer. The report discovered that more than 40 percent of global information workers use a "phablet" rather than a tablet. About 11 percent of the surveyed people also claim their phablet is also their primary tablet. Phablets are generally recognized as a smartphone-tablet hybrid that has a screen size of between 5 and 6 inches and combines a smartphone's portability with the screen experience of a tablet.
The report highlighted that the 5.7-inch Samsung Galaxy Note 4 launched in September 2014 sold 4.5 million units just within first month.
Apple also joined the phablet bandwagon with the launch of its first phablet, the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus in September 2014 that attracted many smartphone lovers looking for a bigger handset. Forrester Research's report notes the iPhone 6 Plus, Galaxy Note 4 and Microsoft Lumia 1520 also played an important role in the worldwide tablet sales in 2014.
The sales of iPhones increased in the final quarter of 2014 while the sales of iPads dropped in the same quarter.
In February this year, the International Data Corporation also reported that worldwide tablet shipments declined 3.2 percent in the final quarter of 2014. However, the yearly shipments increased by 4.4 percent in 2014 that totalled 229.6 million units.
Jean Philippe Bouchard, IDC's research director for tablets, says that although tablet sales are falling the device will still see positive growth in 2015.
"Despite an apparent slow-down of the market, we maintain our forecast about tablet growth in 2015," said Bouchard. "Microsoft's new OS, a general shift towards larger screen form factor and productivity-focused solutions, and technology innovations such as gesture interface that could be introduced in tablets will help the market maintain positive growth in 2015."
Forrester Research's forecast for worldwide tablet shipments in 2015 is 217.84 million units increasing to just 220.46 million units in 2016. The sales forecasts for 2017 and 2018 are 240.16 million units and 249.95 million units, respectively.
Photo: John Karakatsanis | Flickr
