Tablet shipments are expected to reach more than 240 million units worldwide in 2013, beating the projected 207 million shipments of notebook PCs.
According to research firm NPD DisplaySearch, shifting market dynamics are creating the opportunity for a greater variety of choices, which will drive shipment growth in 2013 to 64% year-on-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, NPD DisplaySearch said.
The tablet market has been led by Apple’s 9.7-inch iPad, but in 2013 a new class of small tablets will take over the market. Tablet PCs with 7- to 8-inch screen sizes are expected to account for 45% of the market in 2013, totalling 108 million units. This compares to an anticipated 41 million units or a 17% share for the 9.7” category.
As the variety and demand for new screen sizes increases, so will market growth in emerging markets. China will have 27% of the global tablet market, but North America will remain the largest market with a 35% share. In both China and North America, tablet PC shipments surpassed notebook PC shipments in 2012.
“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,” said Richard Shim, senior analyst with NPD DisplaySearch.
The subsequent increase in shipments and demand underscored the benefits of segmentation in the market as it drove rapid market expansion,” said Shim.