Tablets predicted to face declining sales through 2021

Worldwide shipments of tablets are declining according to the latest figures from market researchers at IDC. According to the source, worldwide shipments were down double-digit percentages by the end of 2015. Meanwhile, tablet alternatives like detachables and convertibles have been slowly rising in sales.

The latest forecast from ABI Research is predicting that the slow sales of tablets will continue for at least the next several years. Shipments are expected to fall from 207 million in 2015 to less than 140 million by 2021. In particular, the firm believes that name brand models will eat up more of the market share while cheaper white label alternatives will decline.

As of 2015, data from ABI Research shows that branded tablets make up just over two-thirds of worldwide sales. This is expected to rise to 70.6 percent by the end of 2016 and finally to 88.5 percent by the end of 2021. Thus, smaller and lesser-known tablet brands will slowly fade as fewer and larger manufacturers eat up most of the market.

Outside of tablets, laptop shipments have also been on the decline and are not expected to recover this year. Smartphones sales are experiencing a slight uptick due in part to the increasing availability of inexpensive models in developing regions.

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