Bigger tablets could breathe new life into the market

When reports first emerged that Apple was building a larger iPad, some expressed concerns about the reception to enormous tablets as the overall market for the touchscreen devices declined. But less than two months after Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp., and Alphabet Inc. introduced larger tablets with PC-like abilities, evidence is suggesting strong demand. While the overall tablet market is still in decline, high-power tablets may be sparking a paradigm shift in the industry: Devices like the iPad Pro, Microsoft’s Surface Book and Alphabet’s Pixel C could spur sales of higher-end tablets that seek to also function like laptops in terms of productivity. Global shipments of tablets are projected to fall by 8.1% year-over-year to 211.3 million this year, yet the market for detachable tablets, which includes all of those devices, is expected to double in size over the next year, according to new estimates from industry tracker IDC. The transition to detachable tablets signals a shift in how people are using the touchscreen machines, from casual interaction to productivity, IDC research director Jean Philippe Bouchard said. This is one reason why companies like Apple and Microsoft, which also makes the Surface Pro 4 tablet, are marketing these higher-end tablets to creative and corporate professionals.