‘No Denying’ That Tablets Market Is 'Losing Its Momentum,’ Says ABI

In branded tablets, there’s “no denying the market is losing its momentum and leading vendors are feeling the squeeze,” ABI Research said in a Monday report that said tablet shipments in Q1 registered their largest declines since the category’s 2009 inception. It estimates shipments dipped 35 percent sequentially from Q4 and 16 percent from Q1 a year earlier. The slowdown “does not necessarily mean the end of the tablet market,” ABI said. “Tablets are still popular among consumer households and even have a practical purpose for many businesses and the education sector,” the firm said, describing tablets as a market in search of a “niche.”