Has the demand for tablets already peaked? That is the argument already being put forward in a recent article in recode.net.
Until quite recently everyone was in love with tablets, they solved so many problems. They were a computer without the bulk. They were flexible. Every manufacturer had a tablet, Apple had the iPad and Android tablets were all the rage. But has the rage subsided? After 225 million units, has the expectation been misplaced? Smart phones have been able to replace much of the functionality of tablets. Only 12% of tablets have mobile internet capability. All smart phones have mobile internet capability so streaming over the increasingly functional bradband networks have allowed us to stream using our smart phones.
According to research sales data of tablets have already peaked. Increasingly smart phones are being stretched and as a result the demand for 5″ style phones will increase significantly. Will the world move into a dichotomy whereby people on the go will use their large smart phones and when fixed to a point use their desktop devices? Or will the tablet become a desktop device as corporates increasingly move in that direction and leaders of these organisations accept that tablets are a day to day device which more flexibility?
For a design and development company, these questions are core to future. Clients are already asking do we need all three. Presently the answer is yes, however with improving design and development capability in responsive design it will be interesting to see how demand (and supply) evolves in the future.
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