iPads and other tablets will be most users’ preferred device by 2016, with sales expected to reach 375 million, according to Forrester.
Forrester analyst Frank Gillett made the claim in a blog post, adding that the company will be sharing the prediction in an upcoming report, “Tablets Will Rule the Future Personal Computing Landscape.”
The company attributed the growth to big screens, daylong battery life, always-on capabilities and superior mobility.
By 2016, Forrester expects global tablet sales to reach 375 million units, with one-third purchased by businesses and two-fifths by emerging markets.
By that time, the firm expects the global installed base of tablets to be 760 million units strong.
Forrester also expects that more content-creation apps will arrive for tablets, especially as developers begin to better understand how to take advantage of hand gestures and voice input technologies.
“As a result of the compelling user experience of Apple’s iPad and the content-focused experience of the Amazon Kindle Fire, and other tablets, global tablet sales will continue to grow sharply over the next five years,” wrote Gillett.
Forrester’s definition of a tablet, Gillett clarifies, is a slab that weighs less than 1.75 pounds, has a 7- to 14-inch (diagonal) display, and features both always-on capabilities and a minimum eight-hour battery life.
However, all is not lost for the traditional desktop PC, which Forrester claims will benefit from the rise of tablets. Gillet expects that while tablets will be the device of choice for workers, those employees who need significant processing power and a large display will continue to use traditional desktop PCs.
“Our casual estimate is that there will be 2 billion PCs in use by 2016, despite growing tablet sales,” wrote Gillett.
Read the blog in full here
