In 2012 the tablet ruled the tech world. In fact, the tablet market reached about 122.3 million units, which is twice as much as the numbers were back in 2011. That’s pretty incredible! So with momentum like that, what do you think will happen with tablets this year? Here are our predictions.
What Can We Expect from Tablets in 2013?
Size Matters
Large-screen tablets like the iPad are still the rulers of the market, but smaller tablets are becoming more and more popular. A little less than 34 million small tablets were shipped in 2012, and this number is expected to double, leading it to account for at least 50% of the market in 2013. Smaller tablets like the Amazon Kindle Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook HD were high in popularity in 2012, but you can’t forget about the Google Nexus 7. This tiny tablet showed steady growth, and is now selling about one million units every month. These tablets are nothing compared to Apple and its 7.9-inch iPad mini, though. It sold about 8 million units in its first two months on the market.
Low Money, No Problems
Until this year, tablets were out of many people’s price range. The starting price, set by the original iPad, was $500 (and that’s the low-end). But with the release of the seven-inch Kindle Fire, the Nexus 7 and the Nook HD, the price competitions are beginning. Smaller tablets are hovering around the $200 mark, helping them turn into an “impulse buy.” If this trend sticks around, price drops may be in the future of 2013 as the market becomes more crowded. Keep an eye out for the seven-inch tablet called the Iconia B1, made by Acer, which will go for about $99.
Android Increases in Popularity
In 2010, Apple had 87% of tablet market share, but this number is quickly decreasing and is expecting to be as low as 53.8% this year. Now, Android’s market share has increased to 42.7%, because of the popular Nexus, Kindle Fire and Nook devices. More Android-based tablets are set to release over the coming months. Even if Android does overtake iOS in 2013, Apple still sold 58 million iPads in 2012, which is more than any single Android tablet manufacturer. It looks like the iPad is here to stay. For now, anyway.
Tablets > Laptops
The days of lugging around a laptop are over – tablet apps and the cloud are becoming more powerful, making tablets a more convenient alternative to a laptop. In fact, Dell is expecting its laptop sales to plunge to 16 million, down from 25.3 million in 2012. The market shows an estimated drop from 187.4 million in 2012 to 173.2 million in 2013. Would you ditch your laptop for a tablet?
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