Tablet sales continue to fall but 'Windows 10 making headway' - IDC

Tablet shipments exepcted to fall by 5.9 per cent in 2016 according to the market watcher

Global tablet sales are set to continue their downward trajectory and shrink in 2016, but Windows 10 is "making headway" in the market, according to IDC.

The market watcher anticipates tablet shipments will fall by 5.9 per cent in 2016 with 195 million worldwide.

After 2016, IDC expects the worldwide tablet market to return to single-digit positive growth, fuelled by increased desire for the hybrid detachable devices.

Jean Philippe Bouchard, tablets research director, said the rise of detachables is a threat to the survival of the PC market.

"Beyond the growing demand for detachable devices, we're also witnessing an increase in competition within this segment that will help drive design, innovation, and a decline in average prices," he said.

"At the latest Mobile World Congress, we saw new entrants, such as Alcatel and Huawei, coming from the mobile space and expanding their portfolio to address the demand for detachables. Everyone in the industry recognises that traditional personal computers such as desktops and notebooks will potentially be replaced by detachables in the coming years and this is why we will see a lot of new products being introduced this year."

After a slow start, Microsoft has seen a surge in sales of its Surface tablet range, and the analyst said that Microsoft-based devices are beginning to take "share from other platforms, most notably Android".

IDC also noted that larger screen devices (9in and above) are set for sharp growth while smaller devices will fall.

Ryan Reith, programme director for IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers, said this trend towards larger tablets will be hugely positive for Windows devices.

"This momentous shift in form factor will bring along the first significant impact of Windows-based devices that the tablet market has seen," he said. "Windows 10 seems to be making headway in both the PC and tablet markets, mainly driven by devices with larger screen sizes.

"Despite the free licensing on products under 9in, the growth for Windows-based tablets will be primarily on devices with displays between 9in and 13in. Until we see a day where touch is introduced for Mac OS X and inroads are paved to bring Android and Chrome more closely aligned, we believe Windows remains the logical choice for detachable products."