Tablet sales forecast to pass PCs, laptops in 2013

Tablet shipments will surpass total PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2013, forecasts IDC.

Tablets and smartphones will contribute 16.5 percent and 70.5 percent respectively to the worldwide smart connected device market by 2017, according to IDC Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker.

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The total PC sales are expected to drop to 13 percent by 2017.

This year, the global smart connected device, which includes PCs, tablets, and smartphones, is set to be $622.4 billion and out of this $423.1 billion will come from the smartphone and tablet segments collectively.

“At a time when the smartphone and tablet markets are showing early signs of saturation, the emergence of lower-priced devices will be a game-changer,” said Megha Saini, research analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker.

Mobile continues to grow

Continued growth is expected for tablet shipments and their growth will surpass total PC shipments on an annual basis by the end of 2015.

Strong growth is also predicted for smartphones that will continue shipping in high volumes, and surpass 1.4 billion units in 2015. Globally, smartphones will account for 69 percent of all smart connected device shipments in 2015.

read more at PCWorld