Tablets Lead Fast-Growing Segment of Internet-Enabled Devices That Will Surpass PC Shipments in 2013, IHS Says

In the future, “consumers will be more likely to access the Internet through their televisions than via their PCs,” said Jordan Selburn, principal analyst for consumer platforms at IHS iSuppli, in a report. Shipments of Internet-enabled consumer electronics devices will surpass PC shipments for the first time in 2013, according to the report. Shipments of connected CE devices -- including televisions, video game consoles, tablets, set-top boxes, digital media adapters and Blu-ray players -- will jump to 503.6 million units in 2013, from 161 million in 2010, IHS said. PC shipments during the same period will advance to 433.7 million from 345.4 million, it said. In 2015, shipments of connected consumer devices will reach 780.8 million units, outpacing PC shipments of 479.1 million units, it said.

Tablets will lead the rise in shipments of Internet-enabled consumer electronics devices while becoming the fastest-growing segment within the space, IHS said. This year, connected CE device shipments are expected to approach 241.2 million units, up from 161 million units last year and 108.3 million units in 2009, IHS said. Game consoles were the top Internet-enabled devices in 2010, posting shipments of 50.5 million units, followed by TVs with 40 million shipments.

In 2011, tablets are poised to lead the connected CE segment with projected shipments of 61.9 million, up from 19.7 million in 2010, IHS said. From virtually nonexistent levels two years ago, tablets will ship more than 300 million units by 2015, 15 times the number shipped in 2010, IHS said. No other Internet-enabled device in the next four years will come close to that kind of growth, Selburn said, citing the tablet’s wide range of features including viewing media, pushing music from an iPad to an audio system or driving video to a big-screen TV, Selburn said.

Other connected devices slated for growth are Blu-ray players and set-top boxes, IHS said. Blu-ray expansion will be driven by the continued adoption of high-definition displays along with the mandatory adoption of Internet capability. Blu-ray players will have the second-highest compounded annual growth rate in the segment at 37.9 percent, compared with 73.3 percent for tablets, IHS said.

Set-top boxes will play a key role in the connected segment, due to unique features such as obtaining content from multiple sources like video on demand or “catch up” television in addition to delivering cable or satellite provider content, IHS said. The combination will likely make the set-top box a “long-term, high-value fixture,” it said.