Seven-inch tablet computers see growing pressure from big-screen phones: IDG

Seven-inch tablet computers, which have been the stars of the tablet world in the last few years, are seeing a shrinking percentage in global shipments due to the severe competition from emerging big-screen phones or phablets, according to International Data Corporation (IDC).

Seven-inch tablets monopolized 64.1 percent of global tablet shipments in 2014, but the ratio fell to 57.7 percent last year, said IDC.

With the emerging of big 5.5-inch-plus screen phones such as iPhone 6 and 6s, the Samsung Galaxy S6 models, the recently released Huawei Mate 8, consumers may pause as they shop for pocketable PCs.

As a result, most of the major tablet vendors have slowed their pace in the development of 7-inch or larger tablets, a phenomenon that has been best illustrated at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, where almost none of big tablet brand names such as Samsung, LG announced new 7- or 8-inch tablets development plans.

IDC predicts sales of small tablets in global shipments will be falling to 43 percent.

"Phablets have and will continue to impact sales of smaller screen size tablets," said Jean Philippe Bouchard, tablets research director at IDC. "The value proposition of a 7-inch slate tablet is considerable reduced when end-users also carries a large smartphone." Endit