The milestone moment when tablets outnumber notebook PC shipments is upon us, according to the latest estimates from NPD DisplaySearch.
A new report from the venerable research group indicates that tablet shipments have reached all-time highs and will outpace notebook PC shipments later this year.
The rapid development and adoption of new screen sizes is allowing both large and small brands to gain market traction in all regions and create new demand for tablet PCs. The tablet market has been led by Apple’s 9.7” iPad, but in 2013 a new class of small tablets will take over the market.
NPD finds that tablet PCs with 7-8” screen sizes are expected to account for 45%, or 108 million units of the market in 2013, overtaking the 9.7” size which will account for 17% share or about 41 million units.
“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,” says Richard Shim, senior analyst with NPD DisplaySearch. “In 2013, further investments are expected worldwide, stoking demand to the point that tablet PC shipments will exceed those of notebook PCs.”
More detailed insight and corresponding projections can be found in The DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report.
