Gartner predicts a slow 2015 for the tablet market, with global sales growing by 8% to 233 million units following a "troubled" 2014, one where growth failed to reach the levels seen in the last 4 years.
"The collapse of the tablet market in 2014 was alarming," the analyst remarks. "In the last 2 years global sales of tablets were growing in double-digits. The steep drop can be explained by several factors. One is that the lifetime of tablets is being extended-- they are shared out amongst family members and software upgrades, especially for iOS devices, keep the tablets current. Another factor includes the lack of innovation in hardware which refrains consumers from upgrading."
The slowdown is not only seen in tablets, mind-- Gartner says global 2015 overall device (PCs, tablets, ultramobiles and mobile phones) shipments should total 2.5 billion with 3.9% growth. PC shipments will be up by just 1% to 321m units, while mobile phones are to reach 1.8bn units with 3.7% growth.
"The smartphone market is becoming polarised between the high- and low-end market price points," Gartner says. "On one hand, the premium phone with an average selling price at $447 in 2014 saw growth dominated by iOS, and on the other end of the spectrum you have Android and other open OS phones' growth area in the basic phone segment, where the average phone costs $100. For the midrange smartphones, the market opportunity is becoming increasingly limited."
On the OS front, 2014 Android device shipments total 1bn, and are forecast to grow by 26% in 2015. Gartner also predicts Windows devices will grow faster than iOS, thanks to a (more) stable PC market and the iPhone failing to find "significant" growth.