According to the NPD DisplaySearch quarterly mobile PC shipment and forecast report, global mobile PC shipments are expected to increase from 367.6 million units in 2012 to 762.7 million by 2017.
The tablet PCs will begin to replace notebook PCs in 2013 as the dominant mobile PC form factor. Moreover, ?touch? is expected to become a key feature in the adoption of mobile PCs. The exponential increase in the establishment of white box tablet PCs (tablets made by small local brands, mainly in China) is impacting the demand for traditional notebook PCs. Low-cost tablets manufactured in China are becoming popular in emerging markets where notebook PC penetration rates are low.
As per the report tablet PC shipments will increase by 67 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) to reach 256.5 million and 579.4 million by 2013 and 2017 respectively. In 2012, white box tablet PCs accounted for one-third of the total tablet PC shipments. Notebook PC shipments are expected to decline by 10 per cent over the next four years. Shipments of notebook PC shipments are expected to decline from 203.3 million in 2013 to 183.3 million in 2017. However, the shipment of notebooks offering touch as a feature is expected to grow by 48 per cent in 2014 on y-o-y basis.
