Tablet Screen Sizes Expanding as iPad Pro Approaches

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Large screen sizes are gaining favor as the tablet transforms into a productivity device, with shipments growing 185% year-on-year in 2015. According to a new Strategy Analytics' Tablet & Touchscreen Strategies (TTS) report, Apple's iPad Pro will join a market that is primed for growth, thanks to the success of Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 and larger 2-in-1 Detachable Tablets from traditional PC vendors like Lenovo, Acer, and Asus.

• By 2019, shipments of tablets with screen sizes 11" or greater will nearly double to 19.3 million units, grabbing a 7% share of the market—a combination of enterprise adoption of large screen-sized Tablets (for PC replacement and workflow transformation) and consumer adoption of 2-in-1 Tablets will contribute to this strong growth
• Once the market leading screen size segment, shipments of 7"-7.9" Tablets will shrink 15 percentage points to occupy 30% of the market in 2019 as Phablet cannibalization takes its toll, and the 8"-8.9" segment grows to 31% of shipments
• While 2-in-1 Tablets and premium large-screen Slate Tablets will drive growth for users seeking content creation devices, mobile content consumption and TV second-screening will remain an essential part of the market with a global installed base of 995 million Tablets in 2019, up 32% from 2015

Peter King, Service Director, Tablet & Touchscreen Strategies, said, "A dramatic shift is underway among Tablet screen sizes to accommodate more use cases for the Tablet. The success of Microsoft's Surface Pro 3—and now the lower-cost Surface 3—has opened the market for traditional PC vendors to sell larger screen-sized Windows Tablets to compete for PC replacement dollars. Additionally, 2-in-1 Tablets have gained market share as costs have come down, placing 10" and 11" Windows Tablets in the mid and low price tiers for mass market consumption."

Eric Smith, Senior Analyst, Tablet & Touchscreen Strategies, added, "Just as Phablets have eaten away at the smaller end of the Tablet spectrum, the gulf between PCs and Tablets is shrinking every day. Major vendors are pushing the boundaries of all three major mobile operating systems and hardware configurations to transform the Tablet into a content creation device. The ultra-portability and versatility of 2-in-1 Tablets and premium Slates like Surface Pro 3 and iPad Pro will enable the Tablet to increasingly serve new market segments, such as field work, healthcare, retail point of sale, education, and even desk work."

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