An interesting study done by Digitimes Research has come to the conclusion that the shipments of tablets, worldwide, is on the decline. According to this study, the signs of such a fall in the demand for tablets are already visible this year itself and the graph for the next few years is showing the same trend. The research has produced a 5-year estimation, till 2024.
Demand Shrinking for Brand and Education Tablets
A significant finding from this research is that there has been a universal decline in the demand for both brand and education tablets. Brand tablets are primarily used in the retail sector. The research report has specifically mentioned Apple’s iPads. iPads are top-selling branded tablets. According to its findings, the company is not planning to make huge changes in the design and specifications of its tablets. It has been reducing the prices of different iPads over the last year and a half. Even these cuts don’t appear to have any impact on the sales of the products.
The research report even goes on to predict that many manufacturers currently engaged in white box tablet making will quit the business and move on to other products. Some have already stopped making tablets, according to the report. There is an obvious development of smartphones taking the place of the tablets. Most smartphones being released these days sport 6-inch to 7-inch display screens. If the foldable smartphones become more affordable and gain some market acceptance, they will directly eat into the sale of tablets.
The Digitimes Research report states that the sale of tablets with display sizes of 10 inches and above, whether they are iPads or Microsoft tablets, may witness a rise in 2020. These tablets may be priced lower as well, largely due to the in-cell touch technology for display panels replacing the GFF technology in the future.
OLED Panels to Replace the TFT LCD Panels
This comprehensive Digitimes Research also took into consideration the display panels. Here again, the finding is that by 2024, there will be a remarkable reduction in the volume of the conventional TFT LCD panels, particularly of small sizes. AMOLED display panels, on the other hand, will register a growth.
All these may be part of a general evolution of the market. The lifespan of products in the electronic sector is always quite limited. New technologies replace the older ones and user preferences can change too.