Tablets to Overtake Notebook PCs by 2016: Study

AFP: Research firm NPD says that by 2016, manufacturers will sell more tablets than notebook PCs. The company predicts that notebook PC shipments will increase from 208 million in 2012 to 393 million by 2017. During the same time, tablet shipments will likely climb from 121 million in 2012 to 416 million in 2017.

NPD said that tablets will be the “growth driver” for the mobile industry in the coming years. Analyst Richard Shim noted, “Consumer preference for mobile computing devices is shifting from notebook to tablet PCs, particularly in mature markets.”