Worldwide tablet shipments set to Rebound in 2018, says IDC

IDC has predicted that the decline of the worldwide tablet market is set to continue for the remainder of 2016.

The market insights providers says that year-over-year growth has reached an all-time low of -11.5% and shipments of 183.4 million units.

However, IDC does predict that positive growth is set to return in 2018 and continue through 2020 with shipments reaching 194.2 million tablets as detachable tablets continue to steal share from traditional PCs.

Jitesh Ubrani, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers, says appealing to the commercial audience will be key as detachable tablets aim to take a larger piece of the traditional PC market.

"Windows and iOS already have solid detachable offerings and with the latest version of Android, Google will also have a horse in the race as they finally offer better multitasking support and added security features."

IDC also expects small tables to give way to larger devices. This year alone, IDC says 55% of all tablets are 9 inches or smaller.

However, by 2020, this share is forecast to drop to 40%.

Jean Philippe Bouchard, research director at IDC, says they're seeing smaller slate tablets being offered at extremely aggressive price points which leaves little room for revenue.

"The price pressure combined with a healthier demand on larger screen sizes and detachable tablets will eventually result in an increased portfolio offering from tablet and PC manufacturers," he says.

While detachable tablets continue to capture the spotlight, IDC affirms slate tablets will continue to account for the majority of shipments throughout the forecast.

This year, 85% of all tablets shipped will be slates which IDC predicts will decrease to 68% by 2020.