It came as no surprise when Gartner released data showing that more than half of all users will be choosing smartphones and tablets over laptops and PCs by 2018 for virtually all their online activities.
The “use pattern” as they call it is this: smartphone first followed by a tablet for longer sessions, with the PC reserved for more complex tasks and content creation.
- Some facts of note coming out of the Gartner data:
- Desktop PC shipments reached 133.5 million units in 2014 (down 2.3% from 2013 which had a 7.8% decline from 2012)
- Laptop shipments reached 173.4 million units in 2014 (a 2.9% decline over 2013 which had an 11.3% decline from 2012)
- Tablet sales will be the strongest in emerging economies and less in developed economies
Before you think the tablet movement is unstoppable, here’s one interesting item worth looking at from IDC. Tablet shipments declined for the first time in Q4 2014. But they were up 4.4% over the course of 2014 compared to 2013 at a total of 229.6 million units shipped. And even though Apple still holds more than a quarter of the market share, it experienced a 14.6% drop in shipments between 2013 and 2014. (IDC speculates that could be a result of cannibalization of the iPad sales by the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.)
Yet all in all, IDC is still predicting that the tablet market will grow in 2015. Which means indoor coverage will continue to be a top concern for all those heavy-handed smartphone and tablet users out there.
When you start factoring in wearables and phablets it will be interesting to see how the coming year pans out. The one sure thing is that CEL-FI smart signal boosters are always ready to keep the coverage going, whatever the choice.
What’s your #1 go-to device for online access?
By the CEL-FI Team