Turning the tables
US technology market researcher Forrester Research has predicted the tablet PC form-factor, as exemplified by the Apple iPad, will continue to grow in popularity, but that this will be to the detriment of netbook, rather than full notebook, sales (Nice to see it's keeping up - Ed).
The firm believes almost a quarter of all PCs sold to consumers in the US will be tablets by 2015, in preference to the currently popular netbook. The report, ‘US Consumer PC Market In 2015' says growth will come from new technology such as tablets, yet also predicts laptop sales will continue to increase.
Forrester believes the consumer PC market in the US is getting bigger, and over the next five years PC unit sales encompassing all the different forms of computer will increase by 52%.
Desktops are the only type of PC expected to be sold at lower levels in 2015 than they are in 2010. Yet the firm does not expect them to become extinct. In fact, it predicts they will still be used by more consumers than any other type of PC and could benefit from technology developments in 3D and gaming.
Forrester advises strategists to plan for growth in new types of PC but also anticipate the continued relevance of ‘traditional' PCs.
