Forecast: global tablet sales 2010-2015, by region

This statistic provides a forecast for tablet PC sales by region for the years 2013 to 2015, based on figures from 2010 to 2012. The source estimates that in 2014 approximately 89 million tablet PCs will be sold in Asia, up from 15.5 million in 2011.

Tablet PC market – additional information

Smaller than a laptop, but with a larger screen than a smartphone, tablet computers have risen in popularity with consumers over the years. According to the graph at hand, tablet sales were expected to soar in every global region, both in emerging markets as well as in mature markets including the United States and Western Europe. A forecast of global tablet shipments shows a similar trend.

With the introduction of its touchscreen-operated iPad in 2010, the technology firm Apple caused a tablet market revolution. It has been leading the global tablet market ever since. However, statistics show that Apple’s market share is receding. Samsung Electronics, the largest technology company worldwide, has taken over parts of Apple’s market share, as its tablet market share increased from 7.3 percent in the second quarter of 2011 to about 17 percent three years later. Meanwhile, the market share of small tablet venders is also growing owing to their lower price range.

It was estimated that 20.7 percent of the global population would own a tablet device by 2014. Much of their popularity was caused by the vast variety of specialized mobile apps that fulfill many of the computer needs from media players, to social networking, to productivity use, to gaming. Mobile apps are computer programs designed for mobile devices including smartphones and tablet computers. The boom of smartphones and tablets has given birth to this new business. Global revenue of mobile app and mobile advertising has increased by more than 58 percent between 2012 and 2013. As of July 2014, approximately 1.3 million apps were available on Google Play, a leading app store.