Okay, so no surprise here. Tablet sales are on the way up and personal computer sales are headed in the opposite direction, according to International Data Corporation (IDC). If there is a surprise, it would be the rate at which the change is taking place.
According to an IDC forecast, worldwide shipments of tablets are expected to grow nearly 59 percent this year (229.3 million units) versus last (144.5 million units). IDC projects tablet shipments will surpass laptops by the end of this year and blow past laptops and desktops combined by 2015.
"Many users are realizing that everyday computing, such as accessing the Web, connecting to social media, sending emails, as well as using a variety of apps, doesn't require a lot of computing power or local storage," Loren Loverde, program vice president, PC Trackers at IDC, said in a statement. "Instead, they are putting a premium on access from a variety of smaller devices with longer battery life, an instant-on function, and intuitive touch-centric interfaces."
"PCs will have an important role in this new era of computing, especially among business users," Ryan Reith, program manager for Mobility Trackers, said in a statement. "But for many consumers, a tablet is a simple and elegant solution for core use cases that were previously addressed by the PC."
Lower costs for tablets are helping to spur tablet market growth. The average selling price for tablets is expected to decline nearly 11 percent to $381 this year as more low price Android devices hit the market.