14 DAY TRIAL // It wasn't too long ago that tablets were a mere niche market, yet now they are sure to overtake, sales-wise, products that have defined the IT industry for generations upon generations.
Analysts are in full agreement that tablets will become the main players on the computer and consumer electronics market.
What most were hesitant to say was that tablets were already well on the way towards marketing supremacy.
That is to say, they weren't confident enough to make forecasts about them out-shipping desktop PCs or notebooks.
Things have changed, or at least now there is one analyst that expects 2013 to be the year when desktops become the underdog.
Truthfully, they are already the underdog. Still, as far as the PC industry goes, they are second, in shipments, only to notebooks.
IDC says that 2013 will end with them on third place. While notebooks will maintain the top spot, the second rank will go to tablets (on-year growth of 48.7% to 190 million units).
"In emerging markets, consumer spending typically starts with mobile phones and, in many cases, moves to tablets before PCs," said Megha Saini, research analyst for IDC's Worldwide Smart Connected Device Tracker.
"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."
Moving forward, tablets will overtake the notebook industry in 2014, both because of further shipment increase and declining interest in PCs.
"Each of these devices is primarily used for data applications and different individuals choose different sets of screen sizes in order to fit their unique needs. These kinds of developments are creating exciting new opportunities that will continue to drive the smart connected devices market forward in a positive way," stated Bob O'Donnell, IDC program vice president for clients and displays.