Or getting to the point of being really useful? You may not like to use your existing tablet, but...
Tablet PCs today are more like landlines phones and calculators. People have them but they hardly put them to use. And when they use these devices, their requirements are limited to a specific set of pointers. Despite the lack of appeal for consumers, markets continue to see new devices still flourishing. Why is that even happening?
Before understanding this crucial part, let’s explore the current market situation for tablets. Worldwide tablet shipments, inclusive of slates and detachable, reached 38.7 million in the second quarter of 2016, according to IDC. The sharp decline in sales is seen due to a thrust given towards either large screen phones or their elder brothers – laptops.
Is India tablet market reflecting global slumps?
Digressing to domestic market, tablet shipments in India inclusive of slate and detachable clocked 1.06 Million in CY Q3 2016 remaining stagnant over the same period last year. However, total tablet shipments grew 7.8 percent in Q3 2016 over Q2 2016 as vendors prepared the channel to cater to consumer demand for the upcoming festive month.
Currently, Datawind leads the Indian tablet market with 26.1% percentage share in CY Q3 2016 while Samsung and iBall are the consecutive runners up. The market seems to have had a major impact in sales. Looking at the current demand and supply, it is clear that the market for Tablets is descending slowly.
Logically, there is a sharp change in mindset these days. Usually when people consider buying tablets, they would rather opt for a phone with larger screen, as mostly the latter would do almost all the work that can be done on a tablet. The market for tablet initially started as a trend, with larger screen size for playing games and watching videos. It was the perfect pass time device which can be used anywhere and anytime.
Long gone the days when Samsung used to unleash a new tablet every month in order to have an edge over its competitors like Asus and Sony. Tablets that are still making through dry time are the ones that are mostly ‘hybrids’ such as Lenovo’s Yoga Tab 3 Pro and Google Pixel C which are mainly semi laptops a.k.a tabtops.
Are smartphones killing off the tablet PCs?
With upgradation to slimmer, sleeker and attachable keyboard, tablets are becoming like phones or laptops. It is used as a leisure device at home for reading up on Kamaal Rashid Khan a.k.a KRK’s latest Twitter rant, binge-watching The Walking dead in bed, or checking Facebook, and most people’ needs are fulfilled by the model they already own.
The entertainment purpose of tablets is slowly diminishing, and diversifying into anything which is related to mobile phones or laptops. Ideally, it is more common to TVs, PCs or gaming consoles. They're an investment you make once every few years, and, ideally, when you feel like upgrading it, you'll be getting something significantly better than what you had before.
The luxury aspect is also declining, as data from IDC and Strategy reveal that the iPad market share declined for the ninth consecutive quarter as the worldwide tablet market continues to slow. Apple now has between 22.1 and 25.9-percent market share among tablet vendors, down from between 24.3 and 27.2-percent in the year-ago quarter.
Apple reported iPad sales of 10.3 million during the March quarter earlier this week, compared to 12.62 million in the year-ago quarter.
With the market witnessing huge transition, it is clear that companies like Samsung and LG would focus on VR headsets or better displays. As innovation mainly holds the market, currently tablets as utility products are lurking behind due to lack of progression.
Is the next wave of tablet innovation in the making?
However, the action is still not completely off, as companies like Microsoft, with its Surface line of tablets, is still making noise. In the meantime, Samsung TabPro S, Google Pixel C and Apple iPad Pro are all making strides, too.
Well, the tablets may not have a consistent future, but it is sure that they’re not dead yet. It’s just that for now, the companies need to develop a new approach to have stability in market. IDC says there is a significant difference between slate tablets and detachable tablets and that detachable tablet shipments are expected to grow over 30%, due to increased market demand and new models launched by vendors. So, the next round of innovation in tablet PCs might be on its way.
Whatever the future of tablets maybe, one thing can be said that most of us will be viewing this article on phones or laptop, not in that 2-year-old tablet which were perhaps received as a birthday gift.
What's your take? Let's know your views in the comments section below.