Global tablet shipments could drop 15-20% this quarter
We are in the post-PC world right now. Smartphones and tablets are pushing out traditional PCs, because it turns out that in many use-cases and many users simply don't need all of the power and flexibility of a full desktop experience. Tablets are a big part of the move, but of course every quarter has its variations. It's never really possible to match the holiday season, but this quarter could take a significant drop.
According to DigiTimes, the usual off-peak season effects could cause upwards of a 15-20% drop in global tablet shipments. The news comes from DigiTimes' favorite "Taiwan-based supply chain makers", so take from this what you will. DigiTimes Research expects Apple to ship just 18 million iPads in Q1 2014, which would be a 22.7% drop compared to the holiday quarter when Apple shipped 26 million tablets. However, Apple seems more optimistic based on the reported component orders, and could be expecting about 20 million units shipped.
With Apple taking a drop like that, Samsung is expected to close the gap in tablet shipments. According to the report, Samsung could come withing 4 million units of Apple's tablet shipments for the quarter.
source: DigiTimes
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