Tablet computer sales have been declining, and are expected to continue into the foreseeable future. Though this might be a surprise to some, here are 3 reasons why the bottom might be falling out of that market.<\/em><\/p>\n
Over the past two financial quarters, global analysts have noted a marked decline in tablet computer sales worldwide. Unlike the double digit growth that was the norm (e.g. as high as 28% at the end of last year), forecasts indicate that the tablet segment will grow by a compound annual rate of just 9% over the next five years (Source: Business Insider<\/a>). Though initially the decline might have been considered a temporary glitch, there is a growing sense that the once held belief that tablets would eclipse both the laptop\/PC and the smartphone, will not occur. Here are three reasons why the tablets are unlikely to replace laptops and smartphones.<\/p>\n
When first released, tablets were considered to be a unique intermediate between a laptop and a smartphone \u2013 more portable than a laptop with touchscreen capability, but with a larger screen size and greater processing power than a smart phone.<\/p>\n
However, as laptops continue to become lighter and even have touchscreens, and in some instances, are more competitively priced than a tablet, the tablet might not be the preferred device to replace a laptop. Similarly, many smartphone lines include larger sized models, such as the \u201cphablet\u201d, whilst most tablet manufacturers have expanded their range to include a \u201cmini\u201d version. Hence the differentiating factors between the tablet and the laptop, and the tablet and the smartphone, might no longer be as distinct, resulting in a less-than-unique, and so less-sought-after, tablet computer device.<\/p>\n
Without a doubt, the smartphone is the workhorse telecoms device for most persons. Due to its highly portable nature \u2013 in a way that laptops and tablets are not \u2013 smartphones are with users almost constantly, which provide a wealth of opportunities to become even more integrated into their lives.<\/p>\n
In a recently conducted survey, over 90% of respondents who had tablets used them on Wi-Fi, even if the device had mobile\/cellular capability (Source: Business Insider<\/a>). It therefore suggests that tablets are being used for what can be perceived as \u201cnon-critical activities\u201d \u2013 where there might not be a sense of urgency, or the need for real-time results, if users are prepared to wait to be connected to Wi-Fi in order to properly use the device.<\/p>\n
The data collected, by firms such as IDC<\/a>, does suggest a long-term slowdown of tablet computer sales, whilst those for laptops, which had declined in recent years, have begun to pick up. In the aforementioned survey, of 92% of survey respondents who already owned a tablet, almost half of them were purchased over two years ago, i.e. 2012 and earlier (Source: Business Insider<\/a>). More importantly, there was not necessarily a sense of urgency to replace those aging devices.<\/p>\n
Image credit:\u00a0 miniyo73<\/a> \/ flickr<\/em><\/p>\n
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