The wired world is tipping increasingly toward tablets and smartphones and away from desktop and laptop personal computers, according to Framingham-based IDC.
The technology research firm said the global market for tables and smartphones will grow nearly 30 percent this year and close to 75 percent from 2013 through 2017, when it will outnumber PCs by 7 to 1.
The market for laptops and other portable computers, meanwhile, will grow about 9 percent, while the market for desktops will fall about 8 percent, IDC said. The firm expects shipments of tablets to exceed those of all PCs in the fourth quarter of this year and on an annual basis by the end of 2015.
“At a time when the smartphone and tablet markets are showing early signs of saturation, the emergence of lower-priced devices will be a game-changer,” IDC said.
IDC expects the lower-cost devices to drive interest worldwide and help to spark uptake among first-time buyers in commercial sectors like education.
