Global tablet sales to drop 10 percent in 2017

Deloitte Africa’s 16th edition of the Technology, Media, and Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions report has revealed that this year global tablet sales will drop by approximately 10 percent from the 182 million units sold in 2016.

In 2017, tablet sales will be fewer than 160 million units, suggesting the end of peak demand for these devices.

The report also showcases how mobile devices will be able to perform machine learning tasks even without connectivity in future.

The study reveals that this year global tablet sales will drop by approximately 10 percent, while the numbers vary by country, in terms of the preferred devices for various activities, there are three consumer devices that are at present leading tablets by a large margin: TVs, smartphones, and computers.

There is no dominant compelling use case for tablets, and across a range of online activities, tablets have their fans, but there is no single activity where they are the preferred device, notes the study.

Research firm TrendForce reveals that this year will see branded tablet vendors adjust their product strategies and generate demand by releasing low-priced devices.

Hence, global shipments for 2017 are forecast to fall by just 5.3 percent annually to about 146.4 million units, noted the report.

Anita Wang, a TrendForce notebook analyst, says most tablet brands will be more conservative in committing their resources during 2017.

“Amazon and Huawei, on the contrary, have ambitions to increase their tablet shipments by many folds. The two brands are expected to expand their offerings in the near future.