The World Could Be About To Hit Peak iPad, Gartner Predicts

Global sales of tablet devices are set to see a significant slowdown this year, as consumers increasingly keep faith with their existing units, new research has precited.

Figures from the latest Gartner Devices Forecast predict that sales of tablets worldwide during 2014 will be just 229m units, down 11 percent from the previous forecast, and meaning that tablets will make up less than ten percent of all devices sold this year.

Gartner projects 83m less new tablet purchasers through2014-2015, and 155m less tablet replacements through 2018, as the average lifespan of a tablet due to hit three years by 2018.

Overall, tablets sales will represent 9.5 percent of total worldwide sales of devices in 2014, the firm predicts.

Ultra-sized

Overall, worldwide combined shipments of smart devices (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) for 2014 are estimated to reach 2.4 billion units in 2014, a 3.2 percent increase from 2013, as more and more people get connected.

PC sales will also endure a slump, however, with sales forecast to fall to just 261m units in 2015, whereas sales of ultramobiles, which include the likes of phablet and hybrid phones, will enjoy the highest rise, with a projected 18.1 percent growth in sales to hit 346m devices sold.

“The device market continues to evolve, with the relationship between traditional PCs, different form factor ultramobiles (clamshell, hybrid and tablet) and mobile phones becoming increasingly more complex,” said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner.

The report also covered smartphone sales, which will see a 52 percent rise primarily due to the adoption of low-end devices in developing markets, where shipments of Android devices are predicted to hit one billion this year and ensure its lead ahead of iOS.

“The market is clearly favouring vendors that can offer value in lower-priced smartphones. This trend has become apparent especially in the second quarter of 2014 when most of the top Chinese smartphone vendors grew volumes and shares,” said Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner.

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