Global Tablet Sales

The global tablet PC shipments will rise to 315 million units this year, comprising more than 65 percent of the market and by 2017 tablet PC shipments will climb to 455 million units, encompassing nearly 75 percent of the mobile PC market, according to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report.

Falling prices and advances in displays will lead to higher shipment levels of tablet PCs which will increasingly replace notebook PC shipments for 2014 and beyond, the report noted.

Consumers will also have more options to choose from, as new technologies and features hit the market, including AMOLED and other display technologies, a greater variety of screen sizes, and higher resolutions.

Tablet PCs with screens smaller than 9 inches will comprise approximately two-thirds of overall shipments in 2014, and 7-inch screens are expected to garner the most tablet PC market share, exceeding 30 percent through 2017.

The shift towards smaller sizes continues to enable lower price points in emerging regions, such as Eastern Europe, China, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa, which will account for more than 60 percent of worldwide shipments in 2014.