Will Apple Inc. (AAPL) Capitalize on this Change of Power?

Do you remember the days when using a PC was all the rage? While some people continue to rely on this type of technology, others are finding that a tablet is the way to go. Of course, this has a lot to do with why the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPad lineup has been such a success over the past few years.

As a growing number of consumers move away from PC usage, it only makes sense for tablet and smartphone shipments to go through the roof.

According to a recent report from the International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide tablet shipments are set to surpass portable PC shipments in 2013. Even more so, tablet shipments will surpass total PC shipments by 2015.

Here is a brief excerpt from the piece, showing the opportunity that is lying ahead for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) as well as its competitors:

“Tablet shipments are expected to grow 58.7% year over year in 2013 reaching 229.3 million units, up from 144.5 million units last year. IDC now predicts tablet shipments will exceed those of portable PCs this year, as the slumping PC market is expected to see negative growth for the second consecutive year. In addition, IDC expects tablet shipments to outpace the entire PC market (portables and desktops combined) by 2015.”

As you can see, IDC is hot on the idea that the tablet market will continue to grow. Of course, it is easy to see why with year over year growth increasing to 58.7 percent.

Ryan Reith, Program Manger for IDC, added the following:

“Tablets surpassing portables in 2013, and total PCs in 2015, marks a significant change in consumer attitudes about compute devices and the applications and ecosystems that power them. IDC continues to believe that PCs will have an important role in this new era of computing, especially among business users. But for many consumers, a tablet is a simple and elegant solution for core use cases that were previously addressed by the PC.”

Even though Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has pretty much invented the tablet market, there is plenty of room for competitors. For instance, lower priced Android devices are picking up steam. This could continue to be a big trend, with “the worldwide average selling price (ASP) for tablets is expected to decline -10.8% to $381.”

What are your thoughts on the Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) lineup of tablets and how the company will approach the future of this market?

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