The proliferation of lower-priced tablets and their growing capabilities is accelerating the shift from PCs to tablets.
This is according to a recent report from market analyst firm Gartner, which notes that the traditional PC market of notebooks and desk-based units is expected to decline 7.6% in 2013.
However, the firm says worldwide devices (the combined shipments of PCs, tablets and mobile phones) are on pace to total 2.4 billion units in 2013, a 9% increase from 2012.
Device shipments are forecast to continue to grow, reaching more than 2.9 billion units in 2017, but the mix of these devices will significantly change over the forecast period, the market analyst firm states.
"While there will be some individuals who retain both a personal PC and a tablet, especially those who use either or both for work and play, most will be satisfied with the experience they get from a tablet as their main computing device," says Carolina Milanesi, research VP at Gartner.
"As consumers shift their time away from their PCs to tablets and smartphones, they will no longer see their PCs as a device that they need to replace on a regular basis."
Gartner adds that this is not a temporary trend induced by a more austere economic environment; but rather is a reflection of a long-term change in user behaviour. However, it explains that, beginning in 2013, ultramobiles will help offset this decline, so that sales of traditional PCs and ultramobiles combined show a 3.5% decline in 2013.
Worldwide tablet shipments are forecast to total 197 million units in 2013, a 69.8% increase from 2012 shipments of 116 million units, it says.
"Lower prices, form factor variety, cloud update and consumers' addiction to apps will be the key drivers in the tablet market," says Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner. "Growth in the tablet segment will not be limited to mature markets alone. Users in emerging markets who are looking for a companion to their mobile phones will increasingly choose a tablet as their first computing device and not a PC."
Fellow market research firm, the IDC, in its recent Smart Connected Device Tracker report, reveals that shipments of tablets worldwide increased by 78.4% year-on-year in 2012. According to the IDC, the combined shipments of smart connected devices grew 29.1%, with more than a billion units shipped, valued at $576.9 billion.
It adds that the weakest performers in the sector - desktop and portable PCs - declined 4.1% and 3.4% year-on-year in shipments, respectively.
"The pressure on the PC market is significantly increasing and we can see longer replacement cycles coming into effect very soon, and that, too, will put downward pressure on PC sales," says Megan Saini, research analyst for IDC's Worldwide Smart Connected Device Tracker.
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