Tablets have fuelled the shipments of overall smart connected devices (SCD) market in the UK by 11.1% to 56 million units, according to a report from IDC.
Despite sluggish growth, SCDs are expected to grow rapidly in the IT industry this year, with tablets anticipated to drive overall consumer electronics spending.
IDC EMEA Personal Computing research manager Chrystelle Labesque said that the adoption of tablets is having a significant impact on the way consumers and businesses use and consider their computing devices.
"The frontiers between private and professional are blurring and new form factors are supporting increasing versatility, opening new usage scenarios and new growth opportunities for the industry."
The report added that demand for tablets rose during the holiday season, with over five million devices sold during 4Q13, leading to a volume of 12.6 million units for the complete year.
Smartphones accounted for 60% of the overall smart connected device market, with nine million units shipped in 4Q13, and a growth rate of 8.5% for the year.
Apple topped the list of vendors shipping highest number of smart connected device with shipments reaching 4.7 million units, followed by Samsung and Amazon with two million and 1.6 million units respectively.
However, HP topped list in PC shipments, followed by Dell, Lenovo, Apple, and Acer, while Samsung dominated the smartphone market, followed by Apple and Sony, capturing nearly 75% of the market for the overall year.
