The number of tablet shipments across the globe is expected to reach 145 million units in 2013, according to a report by ABI Research.
ABI Research senior practice director Jeff Orr said that the rate of innovation is slowing as tablet vendors augment their product portfolios to meet the needs of market audiences.
"The late 2012 launches of Apple’s iPad mini and a variety of slates based on Intel architecture and new Windows operating systems will only begin to show their progress this year," Orr said.
Customers from North American region will be the biggest market for tablets, consuming just over 50% of worldwide shipments.
Shipment to business customers is expected to grow to 19% as more PC OEMs unveil products which are targeted for workplaces.
ABI Research forecasts that the popularity of tablets could impact the PC industry as ‘the majority of new tablet opportunity comes from workers that have until now, worked without the benefits of computing technologies.
In an earlier report, IDC revealed that global personal-computer (PC) shipments declined 6.4% during the fourth quarter of 2012, causing the first holiday decline since 2001, as consumers and retailers shifted towards tablets and smartphones.
