Global tablet shipments are expected to decline 11.5% on year to 183.4 million units in 2016 before making a rebound in 2018-2020, according to IDC.
Total tablet shipments will reach 194.2 million units in 2020 as detachable tablets continue to steal share from traditional PCs.
"Windows and iOS already have solid detachable offerings and with the latest version of Android, Google will also have a horse in the race as they finally offer better multitasking support and added security features," IDC said.
With the shift towards detachable tablets, IDC also expects small tablets to cede share to larger devices. In 2016, 55% of all tablets will be 9-inch or smaller. By 2020, however, this share is forecast to drop to 40%.
Although detachable tablets capture the spotlight, slate tablets will continue to account for the majority of shipments throughout the forecast. In 2016, 85% of all tablets shipped will be slates and this will decrease to 68% by 2020.
Steve Shen, DIGITIMES, Taipei
Source: Digitimes
