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Tablet Shipments to Top Laptops for The First Time Ever

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Tablet shipments in North America set to exceed laptops for the first time during 2012's fourth quarter.

Due to its price points and variety, tablet shipments is set to exceed that of laptops for the first time in North America.

According to a forecast by NPD DisplaySearch's Richard Shim, popular $199 models alongside a large variety of sizes will see 2012 fourth-quarter tablet shipments increasing to 21.5 million units, "far exceeding" the 14.6 million laptops that are expected to be shipped in the same quarter.

During 2013 in North America, tablet shipments are set to exceed notebook shipments on an yearly basis for the first time. Shim predicts 80 million tablets will be shipped, as compared to 63.8 million notebooks.

"This Black Friday and the shopping season to follow will be the fuel to stoke the demand," Shim said. "The $199 price point has increasingly become the target to match or beat with the introductions of Google's $199 Nexus 7 and Amazon's Kindle Fire 7."

Shim said the tablet market has vastly changed since the 9.7-inch iPad debuted in 2010. 7-inch, 7.9-inch, 8.9-inch, 10.1-inch and 10.6-inch tablet sizes have been released this year, with operating systems installed on such devices spanning iOS, Android, as well as Windows 8.

In regards to a worldwide outlook, tablet shipments aren't expected to exceed the shipments of notebooks until 2015, which is the year where 275.9 million tablets are predicted to be shipped versus 270 million notebooks.

In addition to selling over 100 million iPad units since its inception a few years ago, an analyst expects the device to sell 100 million in 2013 alone. Google's Android also accounts for a large percentage of tablets being shipped this year, which is expected to increase considerably next year.

Tablets such as Google's Asus-developed Nexus 7 has also been selling well, with the device nearing one million sales last month.

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10 Comments Comment from the forums
  • kog91
    and people wonder why Microsoft made tablets the focus of Windows 8. Sure the Surface RT is pretty shaky, but they definitely know which way the wind is blowing.

    Here's hoping the Thinkpad Tablet 2 gets good reviews! Love having a stylus!!
    Reply
  • halcyon
    The draw of tablets is undeniable. ...and they're just getting better and better.
    Reply
  • freggo
    There is also a certain market saturation on laptops. By now everyone who needs a laptop has one and there is not much reason to replace or upgrade a laptop as long as it works.
    So naturally the sales on laptops will level off while the new toy on the block will catch up.

    Reply
  • kog91
    freggoThere is also a certain market saturation on laptops. By now everyone who needs a laptop has one and there is not much reason to replace or upgrade a laptop as long as it works.So naturally the sales on laptops will level off while the new toy on the block will catch up.
    Not to mention for the consumer sector: desktop sales < laptop sales < tablet sales.

    We are seeing the same trend as when laptops became popular and more powerful. As we became more able to work and play on our laptops, the draw of desktops significantly dropped. Especially with how powerful these laptops can be nowadays! I mean you can buy machines for < 1000$ that can handle the demands of the original Crysis at medium or better.

    Outside of business and government, desktops are becoming more of an enthusiast market than a consumer market.

    I fully expect that as tablets get more powerful, that laptops will see an even greater decline. This is compounded by the keyboard and desktop docks for tablets these days. Portability of a tablet on the go, functionality of a laptop/desktop when docked.

    The logical next phase is the evolution of devices like the Asus PadPhone. The tablet then just becomes a dock for the smartphone that enables greater usability on the go. Other docks can then be used for desktop and laptop capabilities.
    Reply
  • Those cheaply tablets lousy parents give to their kids, yes, but not the good quality tablet sales.
    Reply
  • back_by_demand
    freggoBy now everyone who needs a laptop has one and there is not much reason to replace or upgrade a laptop as long as it worksExactly! I had a laptop die from old age recently, 8 1/2 years old and finally popped it's cloggs, I will be replacing it with a Surface Pro so it can do all the same laptop stuff but be a tablet too
    ...
    Am I worried about performance? Gaming? No, that's what my desktop is for
    Reply
  • TabletSprint also offers in December, two new tablets with 3G Wireless built in -- the Pipo 763... a 7" Android tablet for $199, and the Pipo M8 for $279, a higher-end, full size 9.4 inch model with a 1280x800 high resolution screen along with GPS & Bluetooth. TabletSprint also offers a nice perk -- a FREE 3G/4G 500MB monthly data plan with full internet access/VoIP calling in the U.S., that works with all tablets they carry -- Each of these new tablet models offer the latest technology and are certainly worth checking out and comparing --
    Reply
  • alidan
    kog91and people wonder why Microsoft made tablets the focus of Windows 8. Sure the Surface RT is pretty shaky, but they definitely know which way the wind is blowing. Here's hoping the Thinkpad Tablet 2 gets good reviews! Love having a stylus!!
    yea build the tablet crap into all os areas, and not just limit it to when its on a tablet.

    that is the design part i question, them going after tablets i cna never fault them for.
    Reply
  • husker
    For the first time "ever"? Hardly enough history of the tablet device to use language that makes it sound so dramatic. That is like saying I read this article for the first time ever!
    Reply
  • g00fysmiley
    everybody just wants thier own appstore and their own closed system where you only get to buy programs through them... ironicall imitating apple which is losing market share for that very reason.
    Reply