In 2017, tablet sales will be fewer than 160 million units, suggesting that we have passed the peak demand for these devices.
This is according to Deloitte Africa's 16th edition of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions report, which showcases how mobile devices will be able to perform machine learning tasks even without connectivity in future.
The study found this year global tablet sales will be down by approximately 10% from the 182 million units sold in 2016. While the numbers vary by country, in terms of the preferred devices for various activities, there are three consumer devices that are at present leading tablets by a large margin: TVs, smartphones and computers, reveals the study.
There is no dominant compelling use case for tablets, and across a range of online activities, tablets have their fans, but there is no single activity where they are the preferred device, notes the study.
Research firm TrendForce says this year will see branded tablet vendors adjust their product strategies and generate demand by releasing low-price devices. Hence, global shipments for 2017 are forecast to fall by just 5.3% annually to about 146.4 million units, notes the report.
Anita Wang, TrendForce notebook analyst, says most tablet brands will be more conservative in committing their resources during 2017.
"Amazon and Huawei, on the contrary, have ambitions to increase their tablet shipments by many folds. The two brands are expected to expand their offerings in the near future. Additionally, Microsoft will be releasing Surface Pro 5 in the first quarter of 2017. Generally speaking, tablet shipments will drop, but the decline will be fairly limited."
According to a report from the International Data Corporation (IDC), Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker, worldwide tablet shipments declined by 12% in 2016, rounding out the year at around 182.3 million shipments.
IDC notes the tablet market will rebound in 2018, although growth will remain in the low single digits as detachable tablets slowly gain traction.
"The benefits of a thin and light design, combined with a touchscreen, are bolstering growth in the detachable tablet market, but are also bleeding over into the PC market as slim and convertible-type notebooks gain popularity," says Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers. "This is a welcome change for vendors as average selling prices for notebooks and tablets are expected to increase in the near term."
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