MANILA, (PNA) — As telcos and device manufacturers offer tablet products and plans at a price point affordable to most Filipinos, tablet adoption is seen to skyrocket in the coming years and could even surpass shipments of PCs worldwide, a recent study concluded.
According to the Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker for the fourth quarter of 2013 released by research firm IDC last week, robust growth in the tablet and smartphone segment will edge out PC shipments for the latter part of the year, highlighting a growing shift in consumer preferences.
But with the nearing saturation of the smartphone and tablet markets, the headroom for growth shrinks considerably. IDC, however, said the introduction of devices at affordable price points will become a “game-changer” in markets around the world, and would further boost adoption.
“Introducing new handsets and tablet devices at cheaper price points along with special initiatives … will accelerate the upgrade cycle and expand the total addressable market overnight,” Megha Saini, Research Analyst with IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Smart Connected Device Tracker, said in a press release.
With the uptake of tablets seeing no signs of slowing down, IDC predicts that in two years’ time, tablets will outship both the desktop and notebook PCs combined. In fact, the research firm had already lowered its outlook for the PC industry by 10% for the entire 2013.
IDC added that it expects the lower-cost devices to drive interest worldwide and help to spark adoption among first-time buyers in commercial sectors like education, and in emerging countries like the Philippines.
“This is indeed very welcome news for Filipino gadget lovers, as more of them could afford to get their hands on the latest devices in the market today. Smart has been leading the charge in crafting the most affordable and best-value plans so that more users will not only have the latest high-end gadgets, but will experience our robust mobile network as well,” said Anne Binuya-Lao, Smart Bro Postpaid Marketing Manager at Smart.