IDC, the research firm responsible for much of the data we see on sales figures, has made a bold prediction that tablet sales will exceed all laptops this year, followed by the entire PC market by 2015.
The firm estimates that tablet shipments will grow by 50 percent in 2013, going up to 229.3 million units. Outselling laptops is a testament to the growth of tablets, but the more shocking prediction is that they will exceed all PC shipments by 2015.
This is another sign that the PC market is hurting, while the mobile space is growing at a tremendous rate. It appears as though many consumers are opting to spend their money on new smartphones and tablets instead of laptops and desktops. As such, sales have fallen sharply, with only a few brands seeing success.
A key part of IDC's prediction is the decrease in the average selling price of tablets by 11 percent to $381. PCs, on the other hand, sell for $635 on average, almost twice as much. This is why so many consumers consider tablets a winning proposition given they're able to perform most simple daily computing tasks.
Not surprisingly, tablets with smaller screens (and thus lower price tags) are gaining traction at an impressive rate. IDC says that in 2013, 55 percent of all tablets sold will fall into the smaller-screen segment. By 2017, it expects devices of the small variety to grow to 57 percent of the total market share.