From CNET: Tablets just aren't as hot as they used to be, according to a report released Tuesday by NPD DisplaySearch.
Demand for tablets is slowing around the world, said the research firm, with shipments forecast to inch up only 2 percent in 2014 compared with 2013. The industry will ship 254 million tablets this year, a decline of 14 percent from NPD's previous estimate for 2014.
Further, growth will continue to remain in the single digits through 2018, with demand largely driven by people replacing their existing tablets.
NPD blamed much of the slowdown on the increasing overlap among screen sizes for tablets, notebooks, and smartphones. Shipments of 7-inch to 7.9-inch tablets will be cannibalized to some degree by smartphones and phablets with display sizes of 5.5 inches and higher. Among all tablets, the unit share held by devices in the 7-inch to 7.9-inch range is expected to fall from 55 percent this year to 35 percent in 2018.
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