If researchers at NPD are correct, your next mobile PC will likely be a tablet. The firm forecasts that manufacturers will ship 315 million tablets this year—enough to account for 65 percent of the mobile PC market. They add that by 2017, tablet shipments will increase to 455 million units and 75 percent of mobile PC market.
“Momentum for the tablet PC market is in full swing as they have become the dominant mobile PC form factor,” stated Richard Shim, senior analyst at NPD DisplaySearch. “Competition is expected to increase as traditional notebook PC brands, including Lenovo, HP and Dell update their product portfolios to emphasize tablet PCs. Increased competition will mean more attention on, and development of, various segments of the market, which will ultimately lead to greater choice and devices that better fit the needs of consumers.”
The increased sales could lead to an increase in demand for tablet apps, which would benefit mobile development firms.
