Tablet shipments in the West are expected to be disappointing this year

There are likely to be fewer tablets shipped this year than previously expected, according to latest estimates. Research firm IDC lowered its tablet projections on Friday for the full year down to 233 million shipments. That’s a 6.5 percent year-over-year growth rate, compared to the 12.1 percent growth rate previously expected. While Western markets are seeing flat growth for 2014, the rest of the world — including emerging and developing markets, will see a 12 percent growth. That’s because smaller tablets in the less-than-8-inches size are becoming increasingly popular, thanks to a lower average selling point.