Ultra-slim PC shipments will grow from 3.4 million in 2011 to 65.0
million by 2015 - a quarter of mobile PC shipments, NPD
DisplaySearch reports.
The mobile PC landscape is transforming from a performance-driven
market to a convenience-driven market, where easy access to content
and usage are the new preferred characteristics.
This change in preference is most noticeable in the slowing demand
for notebook PCs and the increasing demand for tablet PCs.
DisplaySearch expects tablet PC shipments to exceed notebook PC
shipment by 2016. Notebook PC players are responding by adopting the
features of tablets that consumers have appreciated the most.
"Tablet PCs have offered consumers what they have been requesting
from the notebook market for years, instant-on activation, long
battery life, and sleeker designs," said Richard Shim, Senior
Analyst with NPD DisplaySearch. "These attributes are the basis for
enabling greater and easier accessibility to content and services.
Ultra-slim PCs are the notebook market's response to tablets and aim
to balance performance and convenience."
Ultra-slim PC adoption has been modest to date due to premium
pricing and a lack of differentiation from standard notebooks.
Prices have gradually decreased and according to DisplaySearch,
adoption is expected to ramp up in 2013 as new processors aid in the
achievement of more convenience-oriented computing.
In addition, maturing ultra-slim PC panel production processes will
lower material costs and premium prices. A combination of
improvements in thinner glass manufacturing and handling, as well as
assembly of panels, is expected to improve yields and lower the cost
of panels, one of the most expensive components in an ultra-slim PC.