Many people are touting tablets as the PC-killer, but quite the opposite is true. Tablets arenaren’t killing the PC market, they’re extending and enhancing it. Studies show that 90% of tablets sold today have been sold to existing PC owners and those tablets are being used to accompany the PC not to replace it.
The tablet has had a remarkable run the past few years. But it is important to note that in the majority of use cases tablet are not replacing PCs but rather are extending the life of PCs. We know from our data as well as a number of other firms’ research that over 90% of tablets sold today have been sold to existing PC owners. And in nearly every supporting data point I have, those tablets are being used to accompany the PC not to replace it. (By PC, I generally mean notebooks). So it begs the question whether the PC-killing tablet is a valid narrative or not. I’d contend that this is not a valid narrative and, more importantly, it could affect tablet sales to a degree in 2014.
