The worldwide tablet tablet market is expected to see a significant decline for 2014, according to reports from the International Data Corporation. The tablet market's year-over-year growth is expected to be 7.2% this year, down from 52.5% in 2013. According to the analysts, one of the central reasons for the market slowdown is the expectation that 2014 will be the first year Apple will see a decline in iPad shipments.

ipad_mini_3_hand
IDC expects Apple to ship 64.9 million iPads this calendar year, a decline of 12.7 percent from 2013. Capturing 67.7 percent market share and shipping 159.5 million devices, Google's Android operating system will continue to be the most popular OS for tablets.

Total tablet market shipments is projected to hit 235.7 million units shipped, yielding relatively small growth of 7.2 percent over 2013. As a comparison, shipments in the worldwide tablet market saw 52.5 percent growth from 2012 to 2013. IDC equates this slowdown in growth to the longer lifespan of tablets in the modern market.

Screenshot (11)

"The tablet market continues to be impacted by a few major trends happening in relevant markets," said Ryan Reith, Program Director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers. "In the early stages of the tablet market, device lifecycles were expected to resemble those of smartphones, with replacement occurring every 2-3 years. What has played out instead is that many tablet owners are holding onto their devices for more than 3 years and in some instances more than 4 years. We believe the two major drivers for longer than expected tablet life-cycles are legacy software support for older products, especially within iOS, and the increased use of smartphones for a variety of computing tasks."

IDC also points towards consumer hesitancy over Windows 8 tablets for such low market shares in the total tablet and 2-in-1, or detachable, product market, a space Microsoft largely owns at the moment. Microsoft will only see about 11 million tablet shipments this year, equating to less than 5% of the overall tablet market.

"We need to look at how the tablet ecosystem is answering these challenges, and right now we see a lot of pressure on tablet prices and an influx of entry-level products, which ultimately serves Android really well," said Jean Philippe Bouchard, Research Director for Tablets. "But we also see tablet manufacturers trying to offset this price pressure by focusing on larger screens and cellular-enabled tablets. The next six months should be really interesting."

Looking forward, IDC sees a few factors that could impact the worldwide tablet market, including the overall industry reaction to Windows 10, what Google does in the tablet space with Android and Chrome OS, and the yearly potential of even more products from Apple. But, according to IDC, "Despite all of these unknowns, it seems clear that consumers can be expected to hold onto tablets longer than smartphones."

Related Roundup: iPad
Tag: IDC
Buyer's Guide: iPad (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iPad

Top Rated Comments

cdmoore74 Avatar
137 months ago
1. There only so many times you can keep making a tablet thin before people catch on to what you're doing. Apple ran out of ideas. It's the same make it faster, thinner and add a non essential feature to the tablet experience.

2. Phablets including the iPhone 6 plus are more popular than tablets.

3. Apple keeps the iPad updated. No reason to drop another $500.

4. The asking price for the 16GB 9.7" iPad is still $500.

5. The tablet is not a replacement for a computer.

6. People just don't need a tablet.

7. The market is over saturated. People that want a iPad already have an iPad.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JoEw Avatar
137 months ago
When a 2011 iPad 2 still works great in 2014, this is to be expected.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
unagimiyagi Avatar
137 months ago
Tablets are simply not as useful for the huge majority of people as a laptop is.

And that is due to the lack of good input. You can work around, but it's no substitute for a touchpad and a keyboard, period.

The longer you use a tablet, the more you realize that it's a solution in search of a problem.

At first I thought that I'd lounge around the house with a tablet and not need a laptop, but even then, if you're instant messaging, or browsing, whatever.

You're always going to need to do input, and the moment you input anything more than twice, over the months, you'll realize that a laptop is simply the superior choice. It's not due to familiarity and a resistance to change. Laptops are just completely superior for the vast, vast majority of people.

Prediction: the watch will go the way of the iPad as well. Huge initial interest, relegated to a niche role after 4 years.

We need true innovations in battery life, screen technology/form factors, and sensors to make the next leap, and Apple ain't going to provide it. They'll probably buy the company that makes it and call it their own. Apple's a spit and polish type of company, and there's nothing wrong with that. Taking promising tech and mass producing it is not easy, but let's not kid ourselves--this is what they do.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ricci Avatar
137 months ago
I know they are talking about a decline but 65 million? That is still a good peace of selling!!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
agsystems Avatar
137 months ago
I know they are talking about a decline but 65 million? That is still a good peace of selling!!
And you have the applause of the day...these ANALysts are counting $29 Walmart tablets in the same breath as Ipads - this is an Ipad market and will remain like that for a long time, since only Apple has the resources to continue to invest in tablets - the Ipad Air 2 is a fabulous product.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
\-V-/ Avatar
137 months ago
You can't expect Apple sales to keep going up forever. They have to decline at some point.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's CarPlay Ultra Is Here – Does Your iPhone Support It?

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:17 am PDT by
Apple's recently announced CarPlay Ultra promises a deeply integrated in-car experience, but not all iPhone users will be able to take advantage of the new feature. According to Apple's press release, CarPlay Ultra requires an iPhone 12 or later running iOS 18.5 or later. This means if you're using an iPhone 11, iPhone XR, or any older model, you'll need to upgrade your device to access...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Battery Capacity and Weight Allegedly Revealed

Monday May 19, 2025 2:22 am PDT by
Apple is expected to launch an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 Air later this year, and while there have been plenty of rumors about the camera's overall design and thinness, we haven't heard any details about the device's weight and battery capacity until now. According to the leaker going by the account name "yeux1122" on the Korean-langauge Naver blog, the 6.6-inch iPhone 17 Air has a weight ...
Apple CarPlay Ultra instrument cluster themes 01

Apple's 'CarPlay Ultra' Experience Now Available

Thursday May 15, 2025 5:07 am PDT by
Apple today announced that its next-generation CarPlay experience, now dubbed "CarPlay Ultra" begins rolling out today, starting with Aston Martin vehicles. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. CarPlay Ultra is now available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available for existing models that feature the brand's next-generation ...
CarPlay Ultra Climate Controls

Apple Says These Vehicle Brands Plan to Offer All-New CarPlay Ultra

Thursday May 15, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced the launch of CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. CarPlay Ultra features deep integration with a vehicle's instrument cluster and systems, built-in Radio and Climate apps, customizable widgets, and more. The interface is tailored to each vehicle model and automaker's identity, and drivers can also adjust...
WWDC 2025 Banner

Apple Announces WWDC 2025 Schedule, Including Keynote Time

Tuesday May 20, 2025 8:13 am PDT by
Apple today announced a more detailed schedule for its annual developers conference WWDC, which runs from June 9 through June 13. The schedule confirms that Apple's keynote will begin on Monday, June 9 at 10 a.m. Pacific Time, with a live stream to be available on Apple.com, in the Apple TV app, and on YouTube. During the keynote, Apple is expected to announce iOS 19, iPadOS 19, macOS 16,...
Apple Intelligence General Feature

Report: Apple's Next-Gen Version of Siri Is 'On Par' With ChatGPT

Monday May 19, 2025 9:00 am PDT by
Apple has big plans to improve Siri over the next few years, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett report. Some Apple executives are now reportedly pushing to turn Siri into a true ChatGPT competitor. A next-generation, chatbot version of Siri has reportedly made significant progress during testing over the past six months; some executives allegedly now see it as "on par" with recent...
iOS 18 Siri Personal Context

Apple Will Reportedly Be More Cautious About Announcing New Features Well in Advance

Sunday May 18, 2025 2:50 pm PDT by
Apple plans to mostly stop announcing new features more than a few months before they are ready to launch, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and Drake Bennett. The pair of reporters revealed this noteworthy tidbit towards the bottom of a lengthy report about Apple's artificial intelligence shortcomings today. This alleged change in strategy comes after Apple was forced to delay its more...