The global tablet PC market is expected to reach 306 million units by 2020, registering a CAGR of 3.8% during the forecast period, owing to the increasing adoption of enterprise-class tablets by the corporate sector.
Based on platform, the tablet PC market is classified into iOS, Android, Windows, and others. Among these, the Windows category is projected to witness the fastest growth, with a CAGR of 9.3%, during the forecast period. The sale of Windows-based tablet PC is expected to reach 15,894.4 thousand units by 2020, owing to the increasing demand for these PCs from countries such as China, India, and the U.K.
On the basis of screen size, tablet PC market is categorized into <8 inches, 8–11 inches, and >11 inches. Among these, >11 inches category is expected to register the fastest CAGR, of 22.0%, during 2015–2020. Whereas, 8–11 inches category is expected to reach 155,855.1 thousand units by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 4.1% during the forecast period.
Geographically, the North American tablet PC market is expected to register a CAGR of 2.8% during 2015–2020, as compared to the CAGR of 34.1% during 2011–2014. This can be attributed to the increased demand for large-screen smartphones (phablets) and long replacement cycle of tablets. While, in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, China held the largest share in terms of tablet PC shipment in 2014, followed by South Korea and Japan.
Additionally, the European tablet PC market is categorized into Germany, France, the U.K., Spain, and Italy; wherein, the U.K. has the highest penetration rate of tablet PC users in the region. It has been exhibited that one-third of the total U.K. population is using tablet PCs. It has been also reported that Apple dominates the U.K. market by holding more than 60% share.
Tablet PCs offer more artistic freedom to users than traditional laptops can. As compared to laptops, tablet PCs are easy to carry due to their less weight and portability factor. Smartphones too serve this purpose, but complying with their small screen size, they are not such a convenient tool for designers. Apart from entertainment, tablet PCs provide easy sketching to designers either by fingers or by a stylus pen. Many tablet PC manufacturers, such as Samsung and ASUS, offer designers with digital sketchpad and pencil. Tablets with sketchpads offer enhanced efficiency as customers are benefitted by the availability of different types of design applications such as “skitch” and “fresco paint pro”. The linkage between the pen input process and a range of applications give users new ways to perform tasks. Due to these advanced features, the demand for these PCs is increasing, which boosts the growth of the tablet PC market.
Some of the key players in the global tablet PC market include Apple Inc., AsusTek Computer Inc., Microsoft Corporation, Lenovo Group Limited, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., and Acer Inc.
TABLET PC MARKET SEGMENTATION
By Platform
By Screen Size
By Region