The research firm Gartner forecasts that 321 million tablets will ship in 2015, as compared to 261.7 million desk- and laptops, MediaPost reports.
Neither figure includes premium ultramobile hybrids – devices like the Windows 8, for instance – but Gartner classifies them as PCs. When added to PC shipments, the expected total (317 million) still falls short of expected tablet shipments.
In 2014, 256 million tablets will ship, while 308 million PCs and hybrids will. Despite tablets overtaking PCs in 2015, the latter’s outlook is actually improving: Market contraction went from 9.5% in 2013 t0 2.9% in 2014, according to MediaPost.
Another takeaway from the Gartner study: The estimated total shipments of devices – tablets, hybrids, smartphones, and PCs – will hit 2.4 billion units in 2014, a 4.2% increase from 2013.
“The next wave of adoption will be driven by lower price points rather than superior functionality,” Gartner’s Ranji Atwal says.
To read more about the tablet shipment forecast for 2015, visit MediaPost.
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