Andre Yoskowitz
25 Nov 2012 0:56
According to the latest figures from NPD DisplaySearch, tablet shipments overtook laptops for the month of October.
There has long been talk of the milestone coming, but it came sooner than many industry analysts expected. "In a milestone for the global industry, in October tablet PC panel shipments exceeded those of notebook PC panels," reads NPD DisplaySearch's research note. Overall, it can be seen that tablet PCs are threatening to overtake notebooks."
That being said, the month could possibly be a fluke due to a few certain situations.
DisplaySearch explains that there was a large inventory build up, leading to a large decline in shipments. Additionally, laptop buyers held off on purchases as they awaited the late October launch of Windows 8. Furthermore, tablet shipments surged due to retailers hoping to build inventory for the holiday season.
Smaller, cheaper tablets including the $199 Google Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD also helped the tablet surge: