The International Data Corporation (IDC), in its latest Smart Connected Device Tracker report, reveals the shipment of tablets worldwide increased by 78.4% year-on-year in 2012. The combined shipments of smart connected devices grew by 29.1%, with more than a billion units shipped, valued at $576.9 billion.
The weakest performers in the sector, the desktop and portable PC, declined 4.1% and 3.4% year-on-year in shipments, respectively.
Breaking it down according to regions, in the mature market portable PC shipments dropped 8.1%, while the desktop PC saw a decline of 4.8%. Emerging markets look more promising, with the portable PC market down by only 0.8% and the desktop PC by 3.8%. Meanwhile, the tablet market grew from strength to strength, topping the mature market with a 62.8% increase and a 111.3% increase in emerging markets.
Megan Saini, research analyst for IDC's Worldwide Smart Connected Device Tracker, says in a statement that in emerging markets, consumer spending typically starts with mobile phones and, in many cases, moves to tablets before PCs. "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."
The IDC predicts the shipment of tablets will surpass desktop PCs in 2013 and portable PCs in 2014. In 2013, worldwide desktop PC shipments are expected to drop by 4.3% and portable PCs to maintain a low growth of 0.9%. The tablet market is, however, expected to reach 190 million shipment units with a year-on-year growth of 48.7%.
Apple still has the upper hand in the market in terms of revenue, and continued to dominate in the fourth quarter with 30.7% of the share, compared to Samsung's 20.4%. But while the combination of its iPhone and iPad Mini helped it secure 20.3% of unit shipment, Samsung is still just ahead with 21.2% of shipped units.
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