For David Goldman
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) – With the drop in tablet sales, you’re almost more likely to get three French chickens or two turtledoves instead of an iPad this Christmas.
The tablets had a terrible year 2014 and this suffering is expected to continue throughout the holiday season.
In the months following the resumption of school shopping, tablet sales fell 16%, according to market research firm NPD. Tablets had one of the worst performances in the entire consumer electronics industry this year.
The tablet market will only grow by 7% in 2014, according to a report released Tuesday by research firm IDC. Last year, tablet sales increased 53%.
Without the benefit of a two-year contract, people tend to stick with their tablets longer than their smartphones. And as smartphones grow, a lot of people think they don’t need a tablet with a bigger screen.
This is why the seven-inch mini tablets are the worst performers of the tablet group; its sales have declined 40% since September.
The iPad was not spared either. IPad sales are expected to decline in 2014, the first year since its debut in 2010. iPad sales have declined for three consecutive quarters, and in the most recent quarter, Apple recorded the lowest iPad sales since. more than two years.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said in October that the launch of the iPad Mini 3 and iPad Air 2 is expected to boost sales. But that hasn’t happened yet.
“Even the launch of the new iPads at the end of this period failed to boost sales growth,” said Stephen Baker, electronics analyst at NPD. “With the holidays approaching, the potential for a positive tablet selling season looks bleak.”
Only Microsoft’s Windows tablets (MSFT, Tech30) performed slightly well over the last months of the year. NPD says Windows tablet sales revenue has grown 11% in the past three months, driven by strong demand for the Surface Pro 3 laptop-tablet hybrid. But that also compares to an absolutely dismal 2013. for Microsoft. , during which the company faced an expense of $ 900 million due to inventory adjustments for the Surface tablet.
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