Tablet sales are predicted to account for half of the entire PC market in 2014, according to new data from Canalys, with the demand for devices from firms like Apple and Samsung continuing to grow.
The research firm said that with sales of tablets at 40 per cent in Q3 2013, and it now predicts 50 percent of PC-style devices sold will be tablets by the end of 2014 – reaching 285 million.
Desktop units will be 17 percent of the market, with sales of 98 million. Notebooks will account for the remaining 33 percent, at 192 million sales, Canalys said.
The data also said that Apple and Samsung will remain the dominant vendors over the next few years, with Canalys senior analyst Tim Coulling saying the tablet market is an area Apple especially will continue to push as it brings the firm such good margins.
"Apple’s prioritisation of protecting gross margins will see its PC market share continue to decline," he said. "However, Apple is one of the few companies making money from the tablet boom. Premium products attract high-value consumers; for Apple, remaining highly profitable and driving revenue from its entire ecosystem is of greater importance than market share statistics."
To underline the growing demand for tablets, Canalys predicts that by 2017, 396 million units will be sold, as the form factor continues to prove highly enticing for both consumers and business users.
Lining up a tablet as a Christmas gift this year? Check out our top 6 budget tablets for 2013 here.
