IDC Downgrades Its 2015 Tablets Forecast After Two Straight Quarters of Declines

Global shipments of tablets, including stand-alone devices and tablets built into 2-in-1 convertible laptops, will reach 221.8 million units this year, a 3.8 percent decline from 2014, IDC said Thursday in its quarterly “tablet tracker” report. IDC’s new downgraded outlook follows two consecutive quarters of declining sales and is a "modest" downward revision from the previous forecast of 234.5 million units and 2.1 percent year-over-year growth in 2015, IDC said. “While IDC expects overall sales to decline in 2015, some segments of the product category are poised to experience strong growth,” it said. For example, “cellular-capable” tablets and 2-in-1 devices are “a huge opportunity for the entire tablet ecosystem," it said. Although still a small portion of the entire market, this segment is expected to grow this year and beyond, it said. IDC forecasts that this segment will see a five-year compound annual growth rate of 5.6 percent compared with Wi-Fi-only devices, which will experience a 0.4 percent five-year CAGR decline, it said.