Tablet PC Quarterly Shipments Fall for the First Time, According to NPD DisplaySearch
Santa Clara, Calif. (PRWEB) July 09, 2014 -- According to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report, shipments of notebook PCs in the first quarter (Q1) of 2014 were better than expected, due to the commercial PC refresh cycle and Windows XP migration; however, shipments of tablet PCs, at 56 million units, declined year-over-year for the first time. Many brands reported weak tablet PC shipment results in Q1, due in part to new product launch delays. NPD DisplaySearch has lowered its forecast for tablet PC shipments in 2014 to 285 million units.
“Tablet PC demand in 2014 is being impacted by falling demand for seven-inch-class sizes in emerging regions and in China, where many local white-box brands have experienced lower-than-expected shipment growth,” said Hisakazu Torii, vice president, smart application research at NPD DisplaySearch. “Most major brands have recently reduced their business plans for 2014. There is a risk that the replacement cycle for tablet PCs will lengthen beyond the one to two year range unless brands can develop more attractive usage scenarios.”
For the past several years, tablet PCs and smartphones have been the primary growth driver in the smart device category. In 2014, the year-over-year growth rate of tablet PCs will fall to just 14 percent, and by 2017 will slow to single-digits.
NPD DisplaySearch expects that competition from 5.5-inch-and-larger smartphones against 7 to 7.9-inch tablet PCs will reduce the demand for tablet PCs through 2018. Unit share for 7 to 7.9-inch tablet PC displays peaked at 58 percent in 2013, but will gradually decline in 2014 and beyond. Major brands are likely to move to larger sizes, and shipments of 8 to 10.9-inch tablet PCs will overtake 7 to 7.9-inch tablet PCs by 2018. In addition, NPD DisplaySearch expects 11-inch and larger tablets will exceed 10 percent of the market by 2018. “The increase in screen sizes will help increase tablet PC revenues.” Torii said.
The NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report delivers insight and data into worldwide and regional mobile PC shipments for both global and regional brands. For more information about the report, please contact Charles Camaroto at 888-436-7673 or 516-625-2452, e-mail [email protected], or contact your regional NPD DisplaySearch office in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan.
About NPD DisplaySearch
NPD DisplaySearch, part of The NPD Group, provides global market research and consulting specializing in the display supply chain, including trend information, forecasts and analyses developed by a global team of experienced analysts with extensive industry knowledge. NPD DisplaySearch supply chain expertise complements sell-through information from The NPD Group, thereby providing a true end-to-end view of the display supply chain from materials and components to shipments of electronic devices with displays to sales of major consumer and commercial channels. For more information, visit us at http://www.displaysearch.com. Read our blog at http://www.displaysearchblog.com and follow us on Twitter at @DisplaySearch.
About The NPD Group, Inc.
The NPD Group provides global information and advisory services to drive better business decisions. By combining unique data assets with unmatched industry expertise, we help our clients track their markets, understand consumers, and drive profitable growth. Practice areas include automotive, beauty, consumer electronics, entertainment, fashion, food/foodservice, home, luxury, mobile, office supplies, sports, technology, toys, and video games. For more information, visit npd.com and npdgroupblog.com. Follow us on Twitter at @npdtech and @npdgroup.
Lee Graham, The NPD Group, 212-333-4983, [email protected]
Share this article