According to the latest data and accompanying projections from IDC published Wednesday, the global smart connected device market, comprised of PCs, tablets, and smartphones, is forecast to grow 27.8% year over year in 2013.
The growth will be driven by tablet and smartphone shipments, IDC reports, while the PC outlook has been lowered by 10% in 2013.
As a result, the International Data Corporation (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker expects tablet shipments to surpass total PC shipments (desktop plus portable PCs) in the fourth quarter of 2013 (4Q13).
“PCs shipments are still expected to be greater than tablet shipments for the full year, but IDC forecasts tablet shipments will surpass total PC shipments on an annual basis by the end of 2015,” Wednesday’s announcement reads.
Smartphones will continue to ship in high volumes, surpassing 1.4 billion units in 2015 and accounting for 69% of all smart connected device shipments worldwide.
“The device world has seen several iterations of cannibalization impacting different categories, with the last few years focused on tablets cannibalizing PC sales,” observes IDC’s Bob O’Donnell. “Over the next 12-18 months, however, we believe the larger smartphones, commonly called ‘phablets’, will start to eat into the smaller-size tablet market, contributing to a slower growth rate for tablets.”
