Tablet Market Projected to Surpass Notebooks in 2013, Total PC Market in 2015
Research firm IDC today released new projections showing that the firm expects tablet shipments to surpass shipments of notebook computers in 2013, marking a significant shift in how consumers approach portable devices. IDC projects that the strong growth of tablets will continue into the future, allowing tablets to overtake the entire PC market in 2015.
"What started as a sign of tough economic times has quickly shifted to a change in the global computing paradigm with mobile being the primary benefactor," said Ryan Reith, Program Manager for IDC's Mobility Trackers. "Tablets surpassing portables in 2013, and total PCs in 2015, marks a significant change in consumer attitudes about compute devices and the applications and ecosystems that power them. IDC continues to believe that PCs will have an important role in this new era of computing, especially among business users. But for many consumers, a tablet is a simple and elegant solution for core use cases that were previously addressed by the PC."
While Apple has remade the tablet market with the iPad, IDC notes that a proliferation of low-cost Android tablets is driving overall growth at this point. Apple's efforts have also shown that tablets are viable tools for the education market, opening up significant possibilities for sales growth.
"Apple's success in the education market has proven that tablets can be used as more than just a content consumption or gaming device," said Jitesh Ubrani, Research Analyst for the Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. "These devices are learning companions, and as tablet prices continue to drop, the dream of having a PC for every child gets replaced with the reality that we can actually provide a tablet for every child."
The success of tablets is undoubtedly coming as no surprise to Apple, as its executives have said a number of times over the past several years that they expect the tablet market to exceed that of PCs.
Popular Stories
Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro are finally nearing launch, with a release expected later this year. If you are considering upgrading to the new AirPods Pro once they are released, keep reading for a list of five new features to expect.
In addition to all-new features, the second-generation AirPods Pro will likely adopt some features added to the standard AirPods last year.
H2 Chip
...
There's just about a month to go until Apple holds its annual September event focusing on new iPhone and Apple Watch models. We thought we'd take a quick look at everything that's rumored for Apple's September event to give MacRumors readers a rundown on what to expect when the first fall event rolls around.
iPhone 14
The iPhone 14 can probably be described more as an "iPhone 13S" because...
Apple's rumored 10th-generation iPad is currently in production and will feature "major" design changes, according to a report from Taiwanese website DigiTimes.
A mockup of the potential 10th-generation iPad design by Renders By Shailesh The report did not provide any specific details about the 10th-generation iPad's new design, but rumors suggest the device will feature a larger 10.5-inch...
Apple today seeded the sixth betas of upcoming iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 updates to developers for testing purposes, with the updates coming a week after Apple released the fifth developer betas.
Registered developers can download the iOS and iPadOS 16 profiles from the Apple Developer Center, and once installed, the betas will be available over the air.
iOS 16 introduces a revamped Lock...
The Apple Watch SE was announced in September 2020 and has been a popular Apple Watch model for customers looking for their first smartwatch or an affordable Apple Watch. Apple Watch SE customers may be wondering, however, what's in store for them with the upcoming Apple Watch Series 8 and what new features they can expect. Continue reading to find out. Apple Watch SE vs. Apple Watch Series ...
Samsung today announced the launch of the Odyssey Ark, which the company says is the world's first 55-inch 4K curved display with a 165Hz refresh rate for improved gaming performance. Samsung first previewed the monitor at CES, but it is now available to order.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Priced at $3,500, the Samsung Odyssey Ark features mini-LED technology...
This week brought some shocking news for iOS 16 beta testers, with Apple bringing back the iPhone battery percentage to the status bar after a number of years.
Other news and rumors this week included word that Apple has started recording portions of its media event planned for next month to introduce the iPhone 14 and Apple Watch Series 8, claims about iPhone 14 Pro pricing and Apple's...
Top Rated Comments
At this point I'm seeing a MacBook Air as a much better option for on the move computing. If it had 3G built in I would buy it yesterday.
That doesn't mean that bicycles have replaced horses, truck tractors and airliners. Just that less people use them less often. There are a few, but very few people play polo, deliver refrigerators, or prepare photo spreads for National Geographic. Maybe you're one, but you'll have to pay for your tools. Not expect grandma to support the economy of scale necessary to make your horse stables, Peterbilt tractors and Bugattis cheaper.
IBM still sells mainframes. Not many and they are not cheap. The typical programmer hasn't seen one in decades. Thus heads the full tower desktop PC.
And as long as i am a gamer i want a big fat desktop for gaming.
Consoles are just not good enough (no mouse, no multimonitor stuff, and as far as i can see it, even the new ones have less grafic power than current pc cards).
And yes ... for hardcore gaming i can't use a mac :-(
People who program, those who require powerful apps to do their work and people who create sophisticated content are among the only ones that will continue to need full-pledged computers.
Fortunately, Apple makes the best tablet and those who value the superior user experience will continue to pony up for an iPad. We can't be bothered with the hordes of cheapskates.
You're about to see another resurge of the death of PC gaming arguments now that a new generation of consoles is about to come out.
And just like last time with the PS3/360, the time before that with the PS2/Gamecube, and even the time before that with the PS1/N64, after they've been out for a couple of years, PC gaming will start climbing back up to normal. It always sees a huge hit with each new console generation, and always ends up being at its most popular shortly before another cycle begins.
----------
It won't be anything like the arcades. The consumer PC market, which is what's most at danger from the tablets, has never been a part of the PC gamer market. Even when they fall by the wayside, the PC gamer niche will likely still be buying towers and powerful AIOs like they always have.
The PC in general isn't going to die. It's going to become much like it was in the mid-late 90's. A market for professionals and enthusiasts.
I cringe whenever I read these four words. The way I see it is that unless you own a research company, don't presume to tell me what "most people" do. :mad: