Smartphones will make up a growing share of the global market for smart connected devices (SCDs) over the course of this decade, “dwarfing both tablets and PCs in terms of shipment volumes,” according to a new forecast from the IDC Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker.
PCs continued to dominate smart connected device market shipments until as recently as 2010, when the combined market share for desktops and notebooks accounted for around 52.5 percent of overall SCD shipments. Smartphones made up 44.7 percent of worldwide SCD shipments and tablets made up just 2.8 percent.
That has changed dramatically as consumer demand for an ever-wider range of both tablets and smartphones has picked up steam, IDC highlights in a news release. As of year-end 2014 smartphones accounted for a whopping 73.4 percent of global SCD shipments and tablets 12.5 percent. PCs’ share dropped all the way down to 16.8 percent.
Smartphone Growth Forecast
Looking ahead to 2019, IDC forecasts smartphones will account for 77.8 percent of global SCD shipments, PCs 11.6 percent and tablets 10.7 percent. “Smartphone growth continues at an astounding pace, while growth in the PC and tablet markets is proving to be more challenging,” IDC Program Vice President for Devices Tom Mainelli was quoted as saying.
“There are clearly some bright spots in both markets: Detachable 2-in-1s show strong growth potential in tablets, and convertible notebooks are beginning to gain traction in PCs. But ultimately, for more people in more places, the smartphone is the clear choice in terms of owning one connected device.
“Even as we expect slowing smartphone growth later in the forecast, it’s hard to overlook the dominant position smartphones play in the greater device ecosystem. And it’s not likely that anything — including wearables — will unseat it from this dominant position anytime soon.”
