More than 240 million tablet PC units are expected to be shipped worldwide in 2013 according to projections made by NPD DisplaySearch, easily exceeding the 207 million notebook PCs thought to be shipped this year.
The figures will be welcomed by Apple, which has dominated the tablet PC market and shifted the dynamics of the sector. But increased competition and choice is the driver behind the projected 64 percent year-on-year growth.
Until the end of 2012, Apple’s 9.7” iPad was leading the market. But in 2013, a new class of small tablets are expected to take over the market. They are tablet PCs that have 7-8” screen sizes.
According to the report, they will account for 45 percent (108 million units) of the market in
2013, while the 9.7” size will account for a 17 percent share (41 million units).
Emerging markets will also see growth arising from the variety of screen sizes in addition to rising demand for new screen sizes.
As the second largest market for tablet PC shipments, China will account for about 27 percent of the global tablet market in 2013 with shipments of 65 million units that will be driven by small local brands. Regionally however, North America will still remain the world’s largest market with a 35 per cent share (85 million units) in 2013. This could be as a result increasing investments in the region.
“The tablet PC market saw increasing investments in North America in the second half of 2012, from major brands that tested not only new screen sizes and price points, but also unconventional business models to support their efforts. The subsequent increase in shipments and demand underscored the benefits of segmentation in the market as it drove rapid market expansion,” said Richard Shim, senior analyst with NPD DisplaySearch.
