Laptop Sales Head North As Tablet Sales Go The Opposite Direction

More and more people are relying on tablets for their day-to-day online activities, and for a time, it seemed that they put an end to the era of laptops. Laptops, however, are making a comeback according to Best Buy CEO Hubert Joly.

Joly said that tablet sales soared, but they are now crashing. The past few months, tablet sales have gone down and it seems that laptops are back in the spotlight once again. With the decrease in tablet sales, Apple has been hit the hardest with their iPad sales falling a bit more than 9 percent, Examiner reports.

Joly said that the decrease in tablet sales may have something to do with how consumers think about tablets, as they don’t see the need to upgrade to a new tablet that is just a bit faster and more compact than the one that they already own.

With the emergence of tablets, the decline in laptop sales affected Best Buy that had their worst sales year in 2013. However, Joly is positive that with the decrease in tablet sales, laptops will be making a comeback.

Joly sat down for an interview with Re/code and shared his views on tablets and laptop sales.

“The tablets boomed and now are crashing. The volume has really gone down in the last several months. But I think the laptop has something of a revival because it’s becoming more versatile. So, with the two-in-ones, you have the opportunity to have both a tablet and laptop, and that’s appealing to students in particular.”

Based on a report from the International Data Corporation, it has been estimated that tablet sales increased just 11 percent year after year in the second quarter. This percentage is down 60 percent of tablet sales growth from 2012 to 2013.

Samsung has also been hit by the decline in tablet sales, and forecasts dictate that sales will be going south. International Data Corporation also predicted that the tablet market share will be no more than 10 percent, with majority of sales coming from unbranded and cheaper tablets.

Joly also commented on the sales of smartphones and said that it has its own market share, which is significantly high.

With the announcement of the upcoming iPhone 6 and Samsung’s new phablet Galaxy Note 4, the decline of tablets may hasten. Perhaps, a more significant upgrade for the way tablets work may be its only chance to make it back into the market.

[Image via Digital Trends]