Worldwide tablet shipments slide for the 10th straight quarter

[Shawn Knight]

Worldwide tablet shipments slid in the first quarter of 2017 yet again according to the latest data from the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker. Shipments for the most recent three-month period totaled 36.2 million, a decline of 8.5 percent year-over-year.

The decline marks the 10^th consecutive quarter that tablets shipments have dropped compared to their year-ago period.

On the bright side, Q1 shipment declines didn’t hit double-digits as they have the previous five quarters.

It’s worth clarifying that the tablet market is comprised of two very different types of devices. The first kind, characterized by having a first-party keyboard, is referred to by IDC as a detachable tablet. The firm says the market for these types of tablets, which loosely resemble a traditional notebook or laptop, has continued to grow for the most part.

The other type of tablet is the slate-style. After peaking in 2014, this variant has declined steadily as outlined above.

Ryan Reith, program vice president with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers, said the rate at which the tablet market grew from 2010 to 2013 was unlike many other consumer-oriented device markets they have seen before. Rapid smartphone adoption and the minimal rate at which tablet technology advanced, however, kept many consumers from upgrading their devices (or in some cases, buying them at all).

Unfortunately, IDC believes the traditional tablet market will continue its steep decline for the foreseeable future.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/69214-worldwide-tablet-shipments-slide-10th-straight-quarter.html

 

[MoeJoe]

Good

 

[TomSEA]

Now how about a reprint of the articles from 3-5 years ago claiming that PC's were dead because of tablets?

 

[ET3D]

Now how about a reprint of the articles from 3-5 years ago claiming that PC's were dead because of tablets?

Yeah, they misdiagnosed. Both PC's and tablets are dead because of phones.

 

[Uncle Al]

I can see the phone's and tablets being popular with youngsters (under 30 crowd) but for the old folks, NOTHING beats a desktop with a really big monitor!!!! LOL

 

[Faelan]

Now how about a reprint of the articles from 3-5 years ago claiming that PC's were dead because of tablets?

Yeah, they misdiagnosed. Both PC's and tablets are dead because of phones.

Well, I suppose I could live with a phone if I only needed to check mail, social media, a bit of YouTube and web browsing plus a simple mobile game or two. That's just about what the average person does anyway, so yeah - no need for a big PC or fancy tablet.

For what I'm doing though, a phone just won't cut it. Reading an A4 sized technical PDF file with my aging eyes on a phone is just plain torture. The 12.9" iPad Pro is a pure pleasure for that. My MacBook is great for when I need to do something more serious than what a tablet can do and when it comes to gaming or really CPU intensive stuff? That's where my mini-fridge sized PC enters the picture. My phone is my least used device, but it sure is handy when I'm out and about.

Maybe some people can live with just one device, but I'd hate to go back to those days. If I for some reason had to limit myself to just one device, I'd pick my PC though which would seem like madness to the average person. I mean... living without a phone? How is that even remotely POSSIBLE?!?!?

 

[Evernessince]

Now how about a reprint of the articles from 3-5 years ago claiming that PC's were dead because of tablets?

Yeah, they misdiagnosed. Both PC's and tablets are dead because of phones.

More like both tablets, PC, and phones are doing fine.

 

[dpj620]

For an article on declining tablet sales, show a picture of a Surface Pro which is in the category (detachable tablet) that is increasing in sales. Lazy or do you have something against Microsoft?

 

[captaincranky]

When I was a boy, we had novelty toys such as the "Hula-Hoop". And it would appear that the tablet computer is what one might term, the technological equivalent of the hula hoop..

The places I've seen tablets used effectively and to good result, are with sales people and service techs. Verizon's technicians and private sales contractors use them to great advantage For most people, they're just a toy.

Given a slightly sadistic component of my personality, the story was heartwarming, reading it as I fantasized about tablet revenues circling the drain...

 

[Cycloid Torus]

36 million sold @ quarter is still pretty healthy. Maybe this story is really about the sudden rise and eventual decline of a 'gotta-have' computing niche - which will eventually steady in 2-3 years at 25 million @ quarter.

Can you think of other items which demonstrated explosive growth only to fall back into a tidy niche?

 

[GeforcerFX]

They are still popular, the people who wanted them have them now, the sales are just replacements and upgrades. Plus I doubt when a two in one laptop is sold it prob doesn't count towards a tablet sale. They have there place in the market, I think the 2 in 1 laptop is prob the best thing to come out of the tablet craze, finally got a more capable laptop design to hit mainstream (yes I know business laptops have had them for awhile).

 

[captaincranky]

36 million sold @ quarter is still pretty healthy. Maybe this story is really about the sudden rise and eventual decline of a 'gotta-have' computing niche - which will eventually steady in 2-3 years at 25 million @ quarter.

Well the sales figures don't take into account population growth. You hafta ask, "how many of those tablets were sold, simply by virtue of more people, "coming of tablet age", so to speak....

Can you think of other items which demonstrated explosive growth only to fall back into a tidy niche?

The desktop PC, maybe? But wait, those are dead too, aren't they? Was that a trick question?

 

[Teko03]

Devices just last longer now, it's as simple as that. I have my same desktop from 2011.

 

[Cycloid Torus]

Devices just last longer now, it's as simple as that. I have my same desktop from 2011.

Shh ... keep it a secret...otherwise they will make them less reliable...

 

[captaincranky]

Shh ... keep it a secret...otherwise they will make them less reliable...

Well, they don't have to bother doing that. Tablets, like the iPhone, are fashion statements first, and computing "devices" second. Nobody with any sense of style, (by that I mean vanity issues), wears last year's dress, no matter how good it's condition.

Meanwhile, I'm wondering if people stopped buying tablets when they realized how silly they looked holding an 8" tablet up to their ear, trying to use it as a phone.

Oh, maybe I'm just mad because I bought a tablet, and I can't figure out what it's good for, or how to work it...

 

[Cycloid Torus]

I can't figure out what it's good for, or how to work it...

Which is why I haven't bought one yet. I would need cargo pants with a big leg pocket to carry the thing (I prefer my stodgy khakis). I can see using it as an e-book reader, for maps and directions and as a speaker phone (except the speaker part is wimpy). Not compelling.

Maybe someone would pitch in with their discoveries as to compelling uses and easy portation.