IDC Slashes 2013 Tablet Shipment Forecast
Amidst growing competition from larger smartphones and the prospect of new categories such as wearable devices diverting consumer spending, International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker “modestly lowered its tablet forecast for 2013 and beyond.”
On Thursday, the IDC asserted that in mature markets where tablet adoption is already strong, future growth will be less aggressive.
IDC now expects worldwide tablet shipments to reach 227.4 million units in 2013 – down from a previous forecast of 229.3 million.
Not withstanding the modest forecast change, the shipments IDC expects for 2013 remain 57.7% above 2012 shipments.
Overall, the growth will continue through at least 2017 when worldwide shipments are expected to hit 407 million units.
In this morning’s announced, the IDC also adjusted its regional outlook, with maturing markets such as the U.S. now projected to cede share more rapidly to emerging markets such as Asia/Pacific.
“A lower than anticipated second quarter, hampered by a lack of major product announcements, means the second half of the year now becomes even more critical for a tablet market that has traditionally seen its highest shipment volume occur during the holiday season,” says Tom Mainelli, Research Director for Tablets at IDC. “We expect average selling prices to continue to compress as more mainstream vendors utilize low-cost components to better compete with the whitebox tablet vendors that continue to enjoy widespread traction in the market despite typically offering lower-quality products and poorer customer experiences.”
