Tablets Sales to Surpass Notebook Sales in 2013

Sales of tablets are set to surpass sales of notebooks in 2013, according to a NPD DisplaySearch report. Tablet shipments are expected to reach 240 million units, easily exceeding the 207 million notebooks expected to ship in 2013.

The rapid development and adoption of new screen sizes is allowing both large and small brands to gain market traction in all regions and create new demand for tablet PCs. The tablet market has been led by Apple’s 9.7” iPad, but in 2013 a new class of small tablets will take over the market. Tablet PCs with 7-8” screen sizes are expected to account for 45%, or 108 million units of the market in 2013, overtaking the 9.7” size which will account for 17% share or about 41 million units.

China is estimated to become 27% of the global tablet market in 2013 with 65 million units. North American will remain the largest market at 35% market share with 85 million units.


“The tablet PC market saw increasing investments in North America in the second half of 2012, from major brands that tested not only new screen sizes and price points, but also unconventional business models to support their efforts. The subsequent increase in shipments and demand underscored the benefits of segmentation in the market as it drove rapid market expansion,” said Richard Shim, senior analyst with NPD DisplaySearch. “In 2013, further investments are expected worldwide, stoking demand to the point that tablet PC shipments will exceed those of notebook PCs.”

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