Why doesn’t anyone need tablets anymore?

The period of the pandemic has greatly affected the sales of electronics. People had to quickly adapt to remote work and acquire the appropriate equipment in a short time. Strategy Analytics has compiled the following global statistics for 2020: 62.5 million tablets were purchased in the fourth quarter, up 28% from 2019. In total, in 2020, 188.3 million tablets were sold, and the market growth was 18% compared to 2019.

There are several reasons for the surge in tablet sales in 2020. The main one is the need to quickly adapt to the pandemic and create conditions under which remote work would be possible. At the same time, the choice of buyers largely fell on tablets – they are cheaper, more compact and can perform almost all the functions of a laptop or PC.

Naturally, some professions (for example, graphic designers, etc.) cannot do with just a tablet: they require both a large screen and high productivity. But for the rest, buying a tablet has become the fastest and most painless way to adjust to the conditions of the pandemic.

Tablet sales in 2021

If in 2020 there was a significant increase in tablet sales, then in 2021 the situation has changed slightly. From the first to the third quarter of 2021, there has been a gradual increase in global supplies. Let’s compare these indicators with 2020:

• Q1: shipments increased from 25.7 million (2020) to 39.9 million (2021).
• Q2: shipments increased from 38.9 million (2020) to 40.5 million (2021).
• Q3: shipments decreased from 46.7 million (2020) to 42.3 million (2021).

Thus, compared to 2020, tablet shipments decreased between July and September 2021.

At the same time, specifically in the Asia-Pacific region, the volume of supplies increased by 23% (for the period of the third quarter). This suggests that in some countries (including Russia) tablets are not losing their market position.

Are tablets needed in 2021?

Despite the fact that global tablet shipments declined in the third quarter of 2021, they are still quite high. As for Russia, the Asia-Pacific region has demonstrated an increase in the volume of supplies.

Statistics show that people continue to buy tablets for various needs, the main ones being work and study. Of course, there are many professional actions that cannot be performed on a tablet. Some of them require the largest possible screen size, while others lack performance. In addition, people often refuse to work on tablets, as they are simply accustomed to using PCs or laptops for this.

We must not forget that in Russia tablets are very often bought for more comfortable viewing of films, TV series, YouTube and the use of other platforms. As people spend more time at home, their leisure and leisure activities have also changed. Now they are more tied to gadgets, so the desire to purchase more convenient equipment for this is absolutely justified.

Thus, it cannot be said that tablets are no longer needed by anyone. Their sales may start to fall as many people have returned to offices to work with laptops and desktops compared to 2020. However, tablets will still be purchased for their own comfort, study and leisure.