Tablet slowdown seen after years of breakthrough growth

[user31]

The rate of increase in tablet shipments is expected to slow this year after unabated growth during the product category’s first three years of existence.

Research firm IDC is projecting tablet shipments to grow at 19.3 percent this year compared to 2013, when tablet shipments increased 51.6 percent compared to 2012.
IDC is projecting tablet shipments this year to be 260.9 million units. The numbers include both tablets and hybrids that can function as a tablet or laptop.

The slowdown in shipments is due to a maturing tablet market, along with stabilizing prices and a decline in purchases of cheap tablets, IDC said. The blazing growth in tablets during the prior years was partly driven by inexpensive tablets made by no-name makers—also called white-box makers—that shipped devices running on slower processors and older versions of Android

Read more at...

Tablet slowdown seen after years of breakthrough growth | PCWorld

 

[whs]

If you compare that to the PC development since 1990, the tablet market has matured awfully fast. I think the reason is simple - there is not really a lot you cam do with a tablet except content consumption.

Computer Industry Almanac-Press Release

 

[TVeblen]

Oh do I agree with that ^ !

I was recently at back-to-back license courses, and the first presenter had a laptop to plug in to the facilities overhead, and the presentation went smoothly.

The second gave his on a tablet and it was pathetic. The connection kept falling out - requiring reconfiguration each time, the presentation kept jumping to the wrong page when he tried to flick it, and the screen kept flipping sideways! By the end of this thing everyone was fit to kill.

 

[margrave]

Right you are.

There is not really a lot you cam do with a tablet except content consumption.

Tablets pretend to be PCs, but they lack three usability features: keyboard, mouse, and display.

A touch screen is no substitute for a mouse. Fingers just don't have the resolution.

The so-called keyboard (on-screen) is like the serving suggestion on a frozen dinner. It looks good, but it isn't.

The screen is way too small. I can tolerate a 20" monitor for occasional use, but I really need twin 24" monitors for real work. I have that at home. I have that at work.

How can I get that kind of capability in a tablet? It's not available yet, but I hope it soon will be. It might take the form of a holographic projector. Think "Help us Obiwan. You're our only hope." That was 1977. Now, 37 years later, we still don't have it. When?

 

[whs]

After they equipped all McDo outlets with tablets, they ran out of steam.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
Why do people always find this a surprise -- ANY market cannot sustain huge rates of growth indefinitely -- the market matures and must slow down - unless the devices are so poorly made that people have to buy new ones a very short time after buying their first one.

The business model should always take account of what the strategy should be AFTER the market matures --for example you don't mortgage your entire future on expecting a growth rate say of 150% a year to continue indefinitely.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[lehnerus2000]

Common Sense

Hi there
Why do people always find this a surprise -- ANY market cannot sustain huge rates of growth indefinitely -- the market matures and must slow down - unless the devices are so poorly made that people have to buy new ones a very short time after buying their first one.

The business model should always take account of what the strategy should be AFTER the market matures --for example you don't mortgage your entire future on expecting a growth rate say of 150% a year to continue indefinitely.

It's no surprise to anyone with common sense (thus excluding business analysts, economists and politicians).

The whole economy is based on infinite production, infinite consumption and infinite growth, which is patently absurd.

 

[Ranger4]

Hi there
Why do people always find this a surprise -- ANY market cannot sustain huge rates of growth indefinitely -- the market matures and must slow down - unless the devices are so poorly made that people have to buy new ones a very short time after buying their first one.

The business model should always take account of what the strategy should be AFTER the market matures --for example you don't mortgage your entire future on expecting a growth rate say of 150% a year to continue indefinitely.

It's no surprise to anyone with common sense (thus excluding business analysts, economists and politicians).

The whole economy is based on infinite production, infinite consumption and infinite growth, which is patently absurd.

How very true. I think a very solid brick wall is ahead for humanity unless change our ways.

 

[whs]

Some countries, including the US, already passed the brick wall. They are living on vapor.

 

[FerchogtX]

Well... seems that stabilization is good.
If I ever buy a tablet, it needs to be at least something like a Galaxy Note... ohhhh those babies rock!