Analysts from Gartner have predicted that tablet PC sales will for the very first time overtake those of conventional PCs by the end of 2015 – a shift spurred by the growing affordability of solid slates.
It might be some time before we see the complete and total demise of the PC industry as we know it, but things are slowly but surely moving toward an era when traditional machines play second-fiddle…maybe even third.
The latest roundup of current figures and projections from Gartner make for rather worrying, if entirely unsurprising, reading for the world’s major PC makers. The global decline in PC shipments may decelerate slightly in 2015, but by that time tablet PC sales will have already overtaken total annual PC sales for the very first time.
The likes of Samsung, Apple, LG and Asus are all set to score big – Lenovo, Toshiba and HP by contrast will have to further their shifts to fondleslabs if they’re to remain relevant.
Over the new 12-months or so, Gartner expects to see a pretty bug uptake of new PCs across corporate markets due to the time being ripe for upgrades. However, even with slightly better performance it is still apparently inevitable that tablet PCs will shoulder past traditional machines to rule the roost.
In specifics, Gartner reported that a total of 206 million tablet PCs were sold in 2013, which came in a full 35% below total global PC sales. By the end of 2014, well over 250 million tablet PCs will have shipped worldwide and the lead held by PCs will shrink to just 17%.
As for 2015, analysts with Gartner see a further 60 million tablet PC sales added to the annual tally, which would mean approximately 4 million more unit sales than global PC shipments – the first time slates will have taken the lead over standard computers. One of the key reasons for the ongoing spike could be the growing affordability of solid workhorse machines churned out by tablet PC makers – buyers are said to be increasingly favoring practicality and affordability over power and prestige.